Human Experiences
by Suki Anthrax
Summary: A WIP that is focused on Touko and N's new relationship as well as N's first attempt to live a normal, human life. Everything is going well until a mysterious package arrives and they find themselves thrown into another adventure. M for future S/V.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Touko's hands shook, her body still in disbelief over the outcome of her battle with Ghetsis. Her body ached all over and yet her senses were dulled, dampened from the pure shock of the moment. She bent over to comfort Zekrom, her beautiful black dragon, as he lay wounded at her feet. She desperately searched her bag for another full heal, but to no avail; she was shaking so badly she could hardly stand to be inside her own body. Frantic for a way to comfort her friend, she ripped off a piece of her shirt and tried to staunch the bleeding from a large gash in Zekrom's right leg.

It whimpered weakly beneath her as she applied pressure to its wound. She could feel her eyes swell with tears as the majestic legend gazed at her with its dulling ruby eyes. "I know it hurts," she whispered to him, "But you did wonderfully. You saved us all." The dragon exhaled a sigh of relief and pain. "I'll get you all healed up in no time; don't worry."

As she tended to Zekrom, she could hear N's staggered footsteps crunch on the rubble as he approached her. "I believe," he said calmly, "you are looking for this." She turned her head to look back at him as she continued holding pressure on Zekrom's wound. He held out a full heal in his outstretched hands. The dragon let out an anxious growl and tensed his muscles.

"Shhh," she said to him reassuringly. "N isn't going to hurt you. He loves Pokémon; right, N?"

She reached one her arms out behind her and gestured for N to put the medicine in her hand. As he carefully placed it in her palm, their skin brushed together sending little sparks of electricity through her body. He let his hand linger over hers, almost locking his fingers with hers. His skin was rough and dirtied, and yet it was still soothing to her.

Zekrom let out another low grow, this time out of jealousy and impatience. Touko shook her head for a moment, waking herself out of her daze, and then set to healing her Pokémon's wound. N came up beside her and sat, silently watching her tend to her Pokémon. He could see that the dragon was still in a great deal of pain. Hesitantly, he placed his hands on the great legend's folded wings and stroked them lovingly.

"I'm sorry this had to happen to you, my friend," he said gently. "All I wanted was to make the world a better place for Pokémon, but it seems like I hurt more than I helped. " The dragon gave a feeble cry and N smiled. "Thank you; you are very kind."

The gash in Zekrom had finally closed up and the dragon was looking visibly more comfortable. Touko stood, finally mastering her legs, and held out Zekrom's pokeball. "Rest now; you were wonderful," she said smiling. The great legend threw its head back and let out a mighty roar and disappeared back into its pokeball.

N stood up, picking up the contents of Touko's bag she had left scattered around on the floor. "Here," he said, handing her the few empty pokeballs and berries she had left. She looked down at his hands and carefully removed her items, making sure to avoid looking into his eyes.

He couldn't stand the distance that had been wedged between them so suddenly. Emotions, human ones at least, were hard for him to understand. Touko's sudden coldness was utterly confusing to him. Though it felt strange and foreign to him, he took her chin in his hand and pulled it gently upward, forcing her to make eye contact with him.

His emerald eyes seemed as calm as they ever did to her and yet she could tell something had changed in them. They were soft and full of sadness. She held his doleful gaze for what seemed like a very long time, unsure of what she should say or do. In her wildest dreams, she had never dared to imagine that she would ever be in situation like the one she found herself in presently. Not even after she learned what N's plan was to do after he defeated the champion.

Least of all, she never imagined ever finding herself so attached to someone like him. They had become unlikely friends and now as she stood looking into his eyes, she couldn't help but wonder if he too felt this odd attraction. His hand on face made her feel light-headed, as though she was in a waking dream, and she knew that she could no longer hold herself back.

Giving in to her instincts, she put her hands on his waist. She inched closer and closer to his body; with every move she made she felt his muscles tense and his posture stiffen. He was so unused to human contact that it made him nervous to have anyone this close to him.

His breathing quickened as she pressed herself against his body. He reflexively let go of her chin and let his arms hang limp at his sides while she slid hers tighter around him. She leaned her head against his chest; pressing her ear against his body, she could hear his heart pounding wildly.

"Put your arms around me, N," she said quietly yet authoritatively.

He took a deep breath, as though he was about to begin a long and arduous task. His arms moved rigidly, as though his brain was battling his muscles natural movement. His hand hesitantly gripped her hips; he had not expected her skin to be so soft, so warm. He slid them around her body, resting them in the small of her back. He stroked her skin with his thumbs, marveling in the new experience of feeling his skin on hers in a way he had never before. Touko sighed, closing her eyes as she delighted in the shivers his cold skin sent up her spine.

He let his head rest atop hers, while she nuzzled into his chest. He inhaled deeply, catching the sweet scent of her hair. The smell was new and enticing in a way he had never felt in his life. He allowed himself to close his eyes and indulge his senses for just a bit longer. He felt her warm body beneath his hands, the curves and contours of it as he now slid his hand up and down her back and sides. He wished it could last forever, this feeling of security and intimacy.

"N," Touko said after several minutes had passed. "It's not true."

"What isn't?" he asked, perplexed.

She pulled away from him and looked up into his eyes. "Your heart…It's every bit as human as mine. "

He smiled, something he rarely did. It felt odd on his face, like his skin was being pulled too tightly. Touko grabbed one of his hands from her back and pulled it around in front of them; afraid he had done something wrong, he let his other arm fall back to his side and stepped back from her. She giggled at his awkwardness, her hand still tightly holding his arm. "Come back," she said pulling him forward, "you didn't do anything wrong." He still held his arm at his side, occasionally glancing up at her face to gauge her emotions.

"Feel," she said soothingly as she set the arm she controlled over his heart. He could feel its rhythmic pulsing beneath his hand. She released his arm as she saw the look of wonderment the danced across N's face as he felt his heart beating. She stepped in closer to him and held his eyes as she picked up his free hand. She guided it up between them and as N realized that his hand hovered inches from her chest he could feel his heart throb and sputter in anxiety. Using his hand, she pushed away her vest's flap and gently set his hand between her collar bone and her chest.

His eyes widened as he felt her heart beat in his hand. He had never before felt another person's heartbeat. As he luxuriated in the moment she smiled at him and for the first time in his life his smile did not feel foreign. It was completely organic.

_This_, he thought as tears filled his eyes, _is what has been missing in me...a human experience_.


	2. Chapter 2

As she stood locked in her embrace with N, Touko noticed that his breathing had become ragged and shallow. She pulled away from him slightly and looked up at his now tear stained face.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed. "Please don't cry, N. I know it's hard for you…to touch people." She released her grasp on his waist and, before stepping back from him, gently wiped away the tears from his face.

"No, it's not that…" he started. He sighed and crossed his arms in frustration. Why was it so hard to find the words when he knew what he felt? He closed his eyes as he tried harder to find the right thing to say to her.

"N?" she said after several moments of awkward silence. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes," he said dejectedly, annoyed at his inability to frame his thoughts.

"Come on," she said playfully. "Out with it already."

He opened one eye and cocked his head to the side, his long green hair swishing behind him like a tail. "I guess I was…happy; that's all. Is that wrong?" he asked candidly.

Touko tried her best to suppress the laugh she felt growing in her chest, but she couldn't help but giggle a little bit. A broad smile broke out across her face.

"What's funny?" N asked, not intending any sarcasm. He was honestly interested in what she found laughable.

"You just asked me if it's okay to be happy," she said as she let another giggle escape through her lips. She had to bring her hand up to her lips to keep from laughing any harder.

N loved hearing the sound of her laughter. It made him feel light, as though his troubles had suddenly dissolved into the air around him. He loved the way it made her whole face light up; she seemed to glow from some inner fire. It was as though she was the sun in his galaxy; try as he might to fight the attraction, the gravity of her being seemed to pull him into her orbit.

Before her, the world had been equations and calculations. There were several algorithms to solve and explain the effect of gravity. In all his life, however, he could not think of a more elegant way of understanding them than to experience them first hand. He could no longer settle for textbook values; he was no longer satisfied with taking things at face value. He was ready for true science, for the rush of personal experimentation.

He gently moved her hands away from her mouth, his fingers lightly brushing her lips. He set her arms at her sides. The shock of his fingers on her lips sent little waves of warmth through her whole body and left her feeling limp and powerless against him. "Is it wrong?" he asked again, trying to keep the mischievousness he felt from seeping into his voice. She inhaled lightly as though she was going to answer him and, despite the sudden longing that was arising in her, she began to laugh hysterically.

It was like a well composed symphony to him. He wanted to know all the notes, all of its subtle nuisances. Her voice was so pure and sweet to him—how could he ever hope to explain this phenomenon in numbers? It seemed an insurmountable task, yet surely he could figure it out…given time. He sighed and let a small smile bend the corners of his lips.

"I suppose that is a bit absurd, isn't it?" he said bashfully.

"It's okay," she said, holding on to her sides. She let out one last chortle before wiping the tears from her eyes. "You're still learning."

Touko felt a little bad for laughing at him so long. She hoped she hadn't offended him. To test the waters, she reached her arm up around his shoulders and apologetically rubbed them. N uncrossed his arms and straightened himself to his full height. Though it still felt counter-intuitive to touch her without her prompting, N put his arm around Touko's waist. "Let's leave this place," he said quietly.

He stepped forward and she followed, quickly falling into step with him as they walked side by side. She let her head lay against his body as the fatigue she had fought so hard to keep back got the better of her. His body's heat felt sublimely warm against her skin and she soon found herself nestling closer and closer to him until her whole side rested against him. His heat felt so delightful to the soreness that was now beginning to spread to her limbs. She hadn't realized how much she ached for the day's battles. As she thought about it, she couldn't place how long she had actually been in the tower or what time of day it presently was. All she felt was the overwhelming urge to sleep.

She felt her eyelids sliding closed. Her feet seemed to grow immensely heavy; her pace slowed as she lethargically dragged them on the ground. As they neared the large hole in the castle's side N felt himself carrying most of her weight. Her arm had slipped completely from his shoulder and dangled limply behind her, occasionally hitting him in the back as he drug her along.

He stopped and lifted her into his arms in one fluid movement. She didn't even open her eyes. As he carried her the rest of the way, he gazed down at her face. He had never directly observed a girl sleep before. It seemed to lend an air of exaggerated femininity to her face. He had never seen her look so innocent, so vulnerable. She battled so fiercely whenever he challenged her it was easy to overlook how delicate her body actually was.

"Touko. Touko," he said gently. He gave her a timid shake, unsure of whether this was the correct way to wake a human. She let out a little sigh and her eyes flickered open. "Time to go."

She felt wobbly on her legs as N set her down. She rubbed her eyes vigorously, struggling to stay awake. The cool night air whipped past her violently and she could hear the rumbling of thunder in the distance. She couldn't help but wonder if Zekrom had generated the storm during her and N's battle. Hesitantly, she poked her head out of the opening in wall and gazed up at the sky. The clouds were lying in thick layers and obscured any light that may have been coming from the moon. They rumbled ominously at her as she continued to peer out into the darkness.

"Reshiram," N whispered behind her.

The crack of Reshiram leaving its pokeball startled her; she could have sworn it was lightning cracking the sky. She stepped away from the opening as quickly as she could; she had no further desire to investigate the source of the storm. Reshiram gazed at her curiously, its sapphire eyes betraying no trace of its mood. It looked back at its partner for a moment and nodded its head in understanding.

Reshiram kneeled down on its massive limbs and locked eyes with Touko.

_Get on my back, please._

She jumped back in shock as the strange voice reverberated in her head. "D-d-did Reshiram just speak to me…telepathically?" she asked, expecting no real answer.

"Yes," N said as he walked over to her. "Both he and Zekrom can communicate this way to us."

Reshiram let out a low grumble of impatience. "I know, I'm sorry to keep you waiting," N said to the dragon. He took the stunned Touko by the hand and pulled her over to the dragon. He once again lifted her in his arms as easily as if she were a child and placed her gently on the dragon's feathery back.

"Tuck your legs in and hold on," he said, letting a devilish smile spread across his face, as he too climbed on to the great legend's back. Once he felt himself securely positioned for flight, he pulled Touko back against his body and held her tightly in his arms. Now that she had fully realized what was about to happen, she shook all over. The thought of flying through that storm petrified her.

"Let's go, Reshiram," N said.

As soon as the command was issued, the dragon began running at full speed toward the hole. Touko held her breath and buried her face in N's chest, closing her eyes in hopes of shutting out the experience entirely. She felt her stomach drop as the dragon dipped beneath her and the wind began to pull at her hair. Her body shook as the clouds let out a bone-chilling rumble.

"Turn around," she mumbled into N's chest. "I can't take being in this storm!"  
>Open your eyes, child, Reshiram said gently.<p>

N pulled her face from his chest and took her face in his hand. "Look, Touko. It's wonderful."

Begrudgingly, she opened her eyes and immediately felt her breath leave her body. Reshiram had taken them above the thick blanket of clouds in a matter of seconds. She gazed up at the sky, now a vast ocean of stars. "They look so close," she marveled. "It's like I can almost touch them." She reached one of her arms up and grasped at the air playfully. She relaxed her body, leaning back on N comfortably.

"Do you know any of their names, N?" she asked, sleep now trailing back into her voice.

"Yes. I studied them when I was younger. Those there," he said pointing to 3 enormous red stars, "make up Xipil the Flareon. And those comprise…"

He looked down at her face and saw that she had once again drifted off into sleep. He held her tighter to him as he felt her muscles relax. As they flew along under the star veiled sky, the thundering clouds a carpet at their feet, he found his thoughts drifting to strange and unexplored possibilities for his life. As the wind carried the sweet scent of her hair, he could not help but be carried away into whimsical thoughts of the future.

_Where are we going?_ Reshiram inquired.

"Forward," N said as he closed his eyes and dared to dream things he had never thought possible before.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Touko awoke to find herself in a small tent, a cool breeze blowing in through the open flap. Forcing her eyes to adjust to the harsh light of day, she sat up and surveyed her surroundings. Sitting behind her, rocking back and forth idly, was her Darmanitan. Every so often he would exhale, letting out a puff of balmy air, heating the tent as effectively as a fire would.

"Thanks, pal," she said drowsily. Her Darmanitan soaked up the complement and let out a small cry of happiness. She reached over and stoked its head lazily as she tried to piece together everything that had happened to make her feel so utterly tired.

The memory of the previous day's events hit her like a blow to the stomach. Had she really accomplished so much in such a short span of time? Curiosity got the better of her and pushed her to her feet. Her back let out a weary pop as she stood and her legs seemed to creak and moan under her weight. The pain in her muscles was excruciating as she forced them to pull on stiff joints as she exited the tent.

To her surprise, she found herself in the middle of a lush and pristine forest. The scent of mossy dampness and earthy wetness danced around her and she found herself reinvigorated, all traces of exhaustion seemed to fade from her mind. The sun still hung high in the sky; she had not slept as long as she had thought. Her stomach let out a low grumble and she suddenly became aware of the fact that she had not eaten anything in a very long time.

She poked her head back into the tent and looked for her bag but did not see it anywhere. She walked the perimeter of her make shift campsite, turning over small logs in desperation, but to avail; it was as if it had disappeared into thin air.

"I don't suppose you know where my bag is, do you?" she asked her Darmanitan playfully. He looked back at her with his big eyes, still huffing out hot air to keep her tent warm. "I didn't think so," she said, laughing a little. "Too bad N isn't here; you might actually be able to answer him."

N. She gasped a little as she realized he wasn't with her. She looked around her frantically, as though she expected him to materialize magically from the air. _He wouldn't just leave me in a strange forest, would he?_she thought. Anger bubbled up inside her as her mind conjured up an image of N flying off to some unknown land with all of her possessions, meager though they were. She kicked at the ground in frustration as she let her imagination carry her away.

As she swore very loudly at a tree she pictured as N, she heard the sound of sneakers sloshing against the damp forest floor. Her Darmanitan appeared at her side, ready to defend her against the possible intruder, hitting the ground wildly with its massive fists.

"Easy," she cooed. "It's probably just another trainer trying to find their way out." He snorted in acknowledgement, but remained in a defensive posture in front of her legs.

As she reassuringly stroked his head, the saplings to her left began to rustle and before she could make out his body, she saw N's head towering above the little trees. He clambered through them awkwardly, trying to avoid bending their trunks as much as he could. She laughed as his long hair became entangled in their tiny branches; she laughed harder still when he had to rip them off and untangle them from his unruly mane. She surveyed his body from head to toe; her eyes went wide as she saw the state he was currently in.

"What happened to you out there?" she exclaimed, running forward to meet him. Her Darmanitan followed her closely, still cautiously guarding her.

"What do you mean?" N asked, perplexed.

"Look at you clothes! You look like you've been through a war zone."

His right jacket sleeve had been ripped from the rest of his jacket, dangling feebly by a few threads. His khakis were soaked to the ankle in mud and dirt; a small patch of his black thermal had been ripped away from the hem and a layer of dried blood clung to his hands. His hair, now full of twigs and leaves, hung wildly around his head, sticking up at strange and improbable angles. The only thing that was in reasonably good condition was her pink satchel, which he had slung over his shoulder.

"Touko," he said, chuckling, "what do you think you look like right now?"

She hadn't given it much thought, actually. Hesitantly, she ran her hands through her hair; well, she tried to anyway. At the back of her head she found a massive rat's nest, no doubt constructed from her wild open air ride on the back of a dragon. Horrified, she yanked her bag off his shoulder and found her mirror. She opened it slowly, as though it were immensely heavy, and held it up to her face with all the enthusiasm of a condemned man walking to the gallows.

"Oh my God!" she shrieked.

Her hair hung limply in an oily and tangled mess on her head; she was almost certain that she was never going to get her brush through it. Her face was smeared with her own blood and dirt. Her shirt was in tatters, missing several large pieces; her shorts, although already thoroughly distressed, now had an unpleasant, sea-sick coloration to them from all the excess filth they had accumulated.

N shook with laughter as she hastily tried to rub off the dirt from her face.

"This isn't funny," she whined. "Look at me! It looks like a gang of feral Liepards attacked me!"

As the image of Touko running screaming from a crazed and derelict Liepard filled his head, N had to remind himself that laughing at her probably wasn't the best thing to do. This proved extremely difficult as she began to spastically clean whatever part of her body she happened to glance at.

"You don't look that bad," he said soothingly.

"Not that bad?" she hissed. "I supposed it hasn't occurred to you that there aren't any other clothes in my bag. I'm stuck like this until we can get to a town and who knows how long that'll be!" she pouted, sitting on the ground in utter despair. "What I wouldn't give for a bath…"

N sat on the ground next to her, looking as wild as she did. "Here," he said, proffering her some plump berries he had found in the forest. "I went looking for something for you to eat; that's why I took your bag." She nodded her head in begrudging recognition, pushing his berry filled hand away. He popped one in his mouth and chewed deliberately; her stomach gave a feeble gurgle and he smiled.  
>"You know," he said playfully, "I think I saw a pond with clear water while I was foraging, but I doubt you'd be interested in that." She turned and looked at him, her dirty face painted with desperation. "I could probably find it again…" he said lightly. He held his hand up to his face, pretending to be thoroughly engrossed in cleaning his finger nails.<p>

"You had better not be joking," she grumbled sourly as she stood up. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder and grabbed a small pot from the inside of the tent. N stood up and walked her to the edge of the clearing.

"The trees get pretty dense back here," he said. "Take my hand so we don't get separated."

She gingerly took his hand as she thought about how odd it was for him to actually ask her to touch him. She could have cared less at the moment, however; she just wanted to get clean. As he pulled her forward, she felt a tug on her vest. She turned to see her Darmanitan looking up at her with pleadingly.

"Sorry, not this time," she said to him. "You can keep watch on the tent. Make sure no nasty Venipedes sneak into my sleeping bag, kay?"

He let out a low cry; N chuckled. "He says he's afraid you're going to eat me if he doesn't come."

She crossed her arms angrily and sighed. He pulled harder on her vest, almost knocking her off balance. "Alright, alright," she said, tired of fighting a losing battle. "You can come, but you have to stay in your pokeball while we walk. We can't have you starting any fires." Darmanitan eagerly returned to his pokeball and they continued forward, hand in hand.

N navigated through the trees with ease, as though he had lived in this forest his whole life. It was strange to see him so comfortable, so relaxed with his surroundings. Every now and then he would stop and point out a tree to her, listing off its scientific name and what kind of Pokémon liked to live in them. She nodded politely, trying to keep her mounting fury in check. By the time they reached the pond, her arms ached from the weight of the pot and her legs wobbled like they were made of jelly.

She walked to the water's edge and inspected it thoughtfully. It glistened and sparkled in the sun, like polished glass. She kneeled down next to it and dipped the pot she had been carrying with her into; after it was filled, she set it on the shore next to her and dipped her hand back in the water. It still held the heat from the summer sun in it. She let her arm sink lower and lower in the water until she was lying on her stomach, her arm now submerged up to her shoulder.

She rose to her feet and kicked off her combat boots with ease. She let her feet enjoy the moisture of the ground, spreading her toes wide. She tore her vest off hastily and tossed it in the water-filled pot to soak while she bathed. As she began to pull her shirt off, a quiet and shaky voice said, "I'll wait for you just beyond those trees."

She blushed; she had once again completely forgotten about N. Smoothing down her shirt, she turned around to see him staring intently at the ground, his face several deeper shades of red than crimson. He tugged at his hair nervously, several twigs falling out of it like a massive bird's nest; she half expected him to cover his eyes with his fingers. She walked over to him calmly and undid her belt

"Touko," he said, his voice shaking with anxiety and shock.

She rolled her eyes. "Here," she said handing it to him. "Watch my Pokémon for me. I won't be long."

As he took her belt from her, she could feel his hand trembling. She smiled at his innocence; he could be positively adorable sometimes. She brushed his wild hair back away from his face. As her fingers grazed his skin, he felt dizzy and unsteady on his feet. She moved in closer to him; he found himself so stunned that he was unable to move. It was as if he had become rooted to the ground, just another tree in the forest. He wondered if she ever felt this way when he touched her. She put her arms around his neck and gave him a gentle hug. Remaining quite shaky, N slowly put his arms around her, trying not to think about how soft her skin felt.

"Thank you for showing me this place," she whispered.

She pulled away from him and walked back toward the water. Still in a daze, N's feet seemed to carry him into the forest on instinct alone. He exhaled for what felt like the first time in several years. The last twenty-four hours had felt so strange. Sitting down in exhaustion, he clenched his fists and closed his eyes, hoping to get some clarity. As his eyes drooped closed, however, all he found himself thinking about was how the sun looked on Touko's semi-bare back and how her hair fell so elegantly. He wanted so badly to join her in the water.

He heard a splash and the sound of Touko's laughter. He sighed, feeling as though the water had splashed him in the face. The sobering realization that he would have no idea what to even do with her hit him like brick in the face. Dejectedly, he took out Zoroark's pokeball and called out the Pokémon.

Zoroark stretched and yawn lazily before walking over to where N sat. It cocked its head curiously as it took in N's ragged appearance. "What happened to you?" it asked, concern filling its voice. "Are we not at your castle anymore?"

"It is a very long story," N said quietly. Touko let out another bright peel of laughter. Zoroark lifted its head and pointed its ears in the direction the sound came from.

"Who is that?" Zoroark inquired, worried about the safety of his friend.

"Just a girl," N said, sighing sourly. That was the understatement of his life. Touko felt like anything but _just a girl_presently. Sensing the unease of his long-time companion, Zoroark nestled itself down next to N and sat in silence next to him as N continued to listen to the sound Touko's laughter. N let his hand drift down to Zoroark's head and petted him, trying to desperately to think of anything but Touko.

"What is troubling you, N?" Zoroark asked after some time had passed.

N leaned his head back against a tree in angst-laden anguish. "I don't know how to swim."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Touko dried herself off with a towel she had packed away in her bag. She sighed, indulging in the feel of the soft fabric against her newly cleaned skin. She gave her unruly hair a few shakes, combing out the few remaining knots with her fingers. Her muscles were still agonizing to move, but the warmth of the water had helped to loosen them up slightly.

She wrapped the towel around her, its vast softness encircling her like a hug from a familiar friend. She instantly thought of the few awkward hugs she had shared with N over the last few days. It was strange, but still she could not help finding herself thinking about him. She put her head in her palms in exasperation; this was so unlike her. She rarely did anything so impulsive; now, however, she felt herself being carried from one flight of folly to the next.

The wind was starting to pick up and even with the excessively fluffy towel wrapped around her, she felt herself shivering. "N!" she called. "Send Darmanitan over here, please!" A few moments later, the great ape-like Pokémon lumbered towards her, relieved to see that she looked considerably happier than the last time he had seen her. She kneeled down to his height and gave him a hug, enjoying the heat his body constantly emanated.

"Can you dry my hair and my clothes for me?" she asked him sweetly. "I'll make sure N gives you something tasty to eat," she chimed.

Her Darmanitan let out a little cry of happiness. She sat down on the ground and the Pokémon set to work, blowing little puffs of hot air into her hair as if he were a blow-dryer. Touko would have to remind him occasionally not to heat up too much, fearing that he would singe her hair. After about ten minutes, her hair was dry enough to be comfortable. She patted her Darmanitan on the head and he quickly went to work on drying out her clothes.

The sun had begun to sink lower in the sky when she finally pulled her clothes back on. The warmth they had from their impromptu drying felt wonderful and relaxing. She lied back against the grass and inhaled deeply. Wherever Reshiram had taken them, it sure was beautiful. The trees towered over her like giant living skyscrapers. The sun filtered down through them, throwing intricate, lacey shadows across her. As the breeze gently rocked them, she caught the scent of the forest again and it made her feel drowsy and light. She was still so exhausted from everything that had happened yesterday that she felt as though she could curl up right there in the grass sleep for days.

Her Darmanitan cooed at her soothingly and tug at her leg. She sat up, remembering her promise to N that she wouldn't be long. She inhaled deeply, fighting her urge to lie back down and just leave N waiting, and stood up. "N!" she yelled. "I'm done; you can come out now." She waited for a few moments, listening to the sounds N made as trampled through the woods. She laughed, remembering how much his hair currently resembled a large green bird's nest, and found herself inexplicably anxious.

She hastily straightened her shirt and shook out her still lightly damp hair. As she made a final adjustment to her vest, N appeared from the woods accompanied by Zoroark. She waved at them warmly and walked forward to meet them, her Darmanitan running joyously toward Zoroark. She and N both watched the two Pokémon greet and play with each other, as if they had known each other their whole lives.

She put her arm around N's neck and playfully ruffled his hair. "You really have to take care of that mess," she giggled. "Pidoves might start roosting up there soon." N smiled, suddenly feeling embarrassed about his appearance.

"Yeah," he said bashfully. "At least we aren't far from Nacrene City. I can wait until then."

She let her arm drop from his shoulder and stepped around in front of him. "You can't be serious."

"What?" he asked, crossing his arms defensively in front of his chest.

"You can't possibly think I'm going to let you go anywhere looking like that?"

"It's no big deal. I don't look that bad, anyway."

She snorted and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Why won't you get in the water?" she asked gently.

"I don't feel like it," he said flatly.

"You don't feel like it, huh?" He nodded, keeping his face placid and cool. "Oh, really?" she said, placing her hand on his waist lightly. She began walking around him very slowly in a circle, her fingers dragging lightly across his stomach as she turned. "That's good. I was afraid it was because you didn't know how to swim," she whispered, now standing directly behind him, both hands now grasping his hips firmly.

N felt his cheeks flushed violently and he let his head drop a little, staring intently at his severely muddied sneakers. He felt so ashamed; how could a grown man—a king—not know how to do something as simple as swim? He wished he could retreat back into the forest, without a word, and that would be the end of it. He tried to walk forward, but she kept him in place.

"Don't be embarrassed," she whispered, having to stand on tippy toe to reach his ear. "After all," she said, sliding her hands up to arms and to the shoulders of his jacket, "it's not like you had anywhere to practice all those years you were kept locked up." She tugged his jacket by the shoulders and it slid off him with ease. She could feel him shake and tremble beneath her, but he did not try to stop her; partially out of fear, but also partially out of desire. Her touch felt delightful to him; the thought of her undressing him was doubly so.

She let her hands slide back down his arms and once again let them rest on his waist. She gave him a gentle push forward, toward the water. N could feel large beads of sweat developing on his face as she made him take another step forward. His heart beat rapidly against his ribs and he could no longer keep his breathing regular. She grasped the fabric of his thermal, her fingers grazing his skin; his head buzzed as anxiety and enjoyment battled it out in his brain. Giving his shirt a sharp tug, it went up and over his head; she guided his arms up with it and with one final tug peeled it from his body as well.

He exhaled sharply, panic now rising in him at an alarming rate. Another push forward, another step forward he had to take until finally they reached the water's edge. She examined his back, noting several bruises he had acquired from the various battles he had fought over the past few days. She let her fingers trace their shapes. She put her arms around his waist and rested her head on his back, nuzzling her face into the curvature of his spine. As he shook his hair would tickle her cheeks, making her squeal with laughter.

He inhaled and exhaled sporadically; he felt his breath catch in the back of his throat. He was acutely aware of the fact that her hands now rested on his belt buckle. She took a deep breath, taking in his scent. She indulged in it for a moment before sighing; she really did feel bad for what she was about to do, but he had left her no choice. She pulled her hands back to his waist and whispered in his ear lightly, "I'm sorry about this, N."

Before he had time to process what was happening, N found himself in the water. As he thrashed around violently, desperately trying to keep himself afloat, he could see Touko laughing at him from the shore. "Stand up, N," she chuckled. "The water's only like four feet deep," she said as she sat down on the bank and dangled her legs in water. N haphazardly splashed over to her and clung to her legs as though he were about to drown.

"Why?" he sputtered, still clutching her legs as though they were a life preserver.

She looked down at his face; he looked so pitiful, so betrayed. She felt terrible for what she had done.

"Doing," she said, taking his face in her hands, "is the best way to learn something new." She stroked his hair sympathetically. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her touch despite the trick she had just played on him. "Since you're already in," she chimed, "you might as well wash your hair." He sighed dejectedly; all this trouble to get him to wash his hair.

"I-I can't," he stammered, dropping his head. "I'm too afraid to let go of you."

She smiled and let her head rest atop his. She knew it was incredibly hard for him to admit his fear to her; the fact that he still trusted her enough to tell her this was an astounding testament to how strongly he wanted her to be in his life, for one reason or another. Now she felt really guilty for having pushed him in the water.

"Turn around," she said gently as she reached for her bag and the now empty pot she had used to wash her clothes. As N carefully and slowly turned on the spot, making sure to never lose contact with her legs, she dipped the pot in the water. "Close your eyes," she commanded. N closed his eyes and felt a rush of warm water spill across his head. She pulled at the tie in his hair, letting out the loose ponytail he normally wore it in. She grabbed her brush and began working through the vast and complicated network of tangles in his hair.

He let his head rest against her one of her knees as she continued to pull and work on his hair. His body felt so light in the water, almost as though it had no substance to it. As she massaged the shampoo into his hair, he closed his eyes and allowed a small sigh to escape through his lips. His breath felt warm against Touko's leg, sending little sparks of electricity up it to her spine. She felt her heart pitter-patter against her chest as he nuzzled his face in her leg.

She once again dipped her pot in the water and poured the water over his head, this time to rinse out the shampoo. After brushing through his hair several more times to make sure it was smooth, Touko rubbed his shoulders gently. "You can get out now, if you want," she said.

"No," he answered drowsily. "Not yet." He turned around to face her, this time a little more sure of himself but still careful to not let go of her legs. He slid his hands up her legs and to her waist; this time she was the one who felt as though they could hardly breathe. This was so out of character for him, she could barely believe he was doing it. "I need to tell you something, Touko," he said, leaning in close to her so that he could fully wrap his arms around her.

As their eyes met, she could feel herself being pulled forward ever-so-slightly. She knew what was coming. She fought against him, but it was no use; N had much more physical strength than she had. "No, No, No!" she cried desperately. With a large splash, she found herself submerged in the water, N still holding on to her waist.

She stood up and glared at N, pushing her now drenched hair out of her face angrily. N laughed heartily, clearly very proud of himself for having gotten even with her. She punched him weakly on the arm, signaling that she wasn't really that angry with him. As she tried to slosh back to shore, he pulled her back to him and splashed her playfully. She responded by splashing him back and trying to escape his grasp, a giant smile breaking out across her face as she laughed.

He wrapped both arms around her this time and pulled her close to him. "You know," he said as he gazed into her eyes, "it wasn't very nice of you to trick me like that."

"I know," she sighed. "I'm so sorry I did that to you. It was pretty selfish of me."

He grinned and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "It's alright. If you hadn't done it, I would never have gotten in. A little push," he said softly, "was all I needed. "

She giggled at his pun, not knowing if he meant it literally or figuratively. He began to rub her back gently with his thumbs; his touch sent little shockwaves of warmth through her body and she found herself pulling in closer to him. He swallowed hard as she let her arms hang loosely around his neck.

She looked into his emerald eyes and saw that the normal look of scientific curiosity he usually held her in had been replaced with one of tenderness. She felt herself blush for what felt like the hundredth time in one day. She let her fingers twine in his damp hair, giving it playful gentle tugs. He smiled as he felt his head tug towards hers and, for the first time in his life allowed himself to float. He let go of his fears, of his worries, of his insecurities and feeling of inadequacy and simply let himself do what he wanted to do.

Touko gasped, both in shock and pleasure, as she felt his lips softly against her cheek. "Was that okay?" he asked hesitantly, no longer full of the courage his spontaneity had given him a few moments before. She felt warm and delighted, completely forgetting about how tired she felt or how sore her muscles were.

"No," she said plainly. "You did it all wrong." Panic and dread flashed across N's face as a broad smile broke out across hers. She took his hands and placed them on her hips and pressed her body against his, enjoying the feeling of his chest against hers. She took his face in her hands and gently pulled it towards her until their lips were almost touching. "You missed," she whispered, her lips grazing his as she spoke. She closed her eyes and waited, allowing him to close the distance between them.

His lips felt exquisite against hers, full and soft. He kissed her so softly, so innocently it was almost heartbreaking. She wanted so badly for him to kiss her with passion, to make her thoroughly his. Instead, he pulled away slowly and let his forehead rest against hers. He was breathing so hard it was almost uncomfortable to rest her body against his. He gasped, finally catching his breath.

"Come on," he said calmly as he pulled away from her and took her by the hand. "Darmanitan and Zoroark could destroy the forest if we let them play too much longer."

She followed him back on shore, in a daze over what had just happened. N smiled as he saw the effect he had on her. He put his arm around her waist and gave her a sweet kiss on the forehead; he had to hold her up as her knees went weak. He smiled, feeling that for once he was not the only one who was not the master of something so fundamentally human.


	5. Chapter 5

Touko practically floated back to the tent, riding a wave of new found euphoria. The forest passed in a green blur, her mind too full of fanciful thoughts to focus on what was happening around her. As N towed her along back to the clearing, she played their kiss over and over in her head.

It wasn't the first time she had ever kissed anyone, but in a way she felt it was. This kiss, though innocent and sweet, was filled with passion in a way that none that had come before it had ever been. She sighed dreamily as she focused on how tightly he had his fingers currently twined in hers. She felt like a lovesick school girl and, though she despised feeling so childish, she luxuriated in the new feelings of desire that now pulsated through her body and mind.

They arrived back in their campsite just before the sun had completely set. Touko dropped her bag on the ground and sat on a log next to the entrance of the tent. She shivered violently as the wind whipped past her; its chill seemed to pierce her skin like needles and clung to her still wet clothes like leeches. N gathered up some fallen branches and small logs and set to work making a fire. She smiled, surprised he knew how to make one at all.

He was like a surgeon; he moved with measured and careful motions, stacking the logs in complex and interlocking patterns she would never had thought of. He would tweak them every so often, stand back and look at them thoughtfully and continue to rearrange them. When he was satisfied with his work, N called over Touko's Darmanitan, who had stubbornly refused to go back in his pokeball for the walk back to camp. The Pokémon gave him a sour glance and refused to speak to him; however, when he saw how cold Touko looked, he lit fire to the log with enthusiasm. Holding N in his gaze suspiciously, he scampered over to Touko and pulled her close to him to get warm.

"I think someone is jealous," Touko said jokingly to N. Her Darmanitan began to coo and pull at her to get her attention away from N. "Don't worry; there's room in my heart for both of you."

The Pokémon let out a low grumble and continued to glare daggers at N, who was now standing next to Touko. He stared up at the sky, counting the constellations he knew and listing them off to himself in his head. He sighed; he could barely make-out three. His mind swam with the image of Touko in the pond, her face covered in a smile and her clothes clinging to her skin. He put his fingers on his lips, remembering the how sensuously warm and full her lips had felt upon his. He felt his face flush pink and immediately wished he had not allowed his mind to wander back to that moment yet again today.

He sat down on the ground, giving Touko (but mostly her Darmanitan) some space. It still clung to her tightly and N began to wonder whether it was going to ever let go of her. They sat there for a long time in silence, both of them pretending to be thinking about something other than each other. N fumbled with his void cube sporadically, making no real progress on it at all. Touko drew little doodles of Purrloins in the dirt with her finger.

After what felt like hours had passed, Touko pulled the now sleeping Darmanitan off her and returned him to his ball. She stood up and stretched out her arms; it felt good to move around after having such a heavy Pokémon sit on her for so long. After several moments of pacing, she went and sat on the ground next to N who was now furiously rearranging the cubies on his puzzle. She watched his hands move with dizzying speed, as if he had solved it a million times previously. Every once in a while he would pause and turn the cube in his hands and appraise his progress before continuing.

"Can I see it?" Touko asked, holding her hand out to him.

N handed the puzzle cube over to her, placing it delicately in her outstretched hand. She idly pushed the little cubes around. N winced, watching as she obliterated all of his work. "This is really hard," she said, sighing. "Every time I get the same color ones together on one side, I have to mess them up to get another side done. I just go in circles!"

N smiled at her frustration. "Do you want some help?" he asked, trying to keep his amusement out of his voice.

"Ugh!" she groaned at the puzzle as she once again had to scatter her matched cubes. "Yes, please help me. It's driving me crazy!"

Perhaps it was because she had been fighting it so hard the entire night, Touko found that she had zero resolve to resist acting on her urges. She scooted in front of him and lay back against his chest. "Show me!" she said playfully as she put the puzzle in his hands.

He inspected the puzzle thoroughly and sighed. "You really messed it up, so it may take me longer than normal to solve it…" He held it close to his face as he tried to orient the pieces in his mind. She put her hands on his thighs and absent mindedly rubbed them as she watched him continue to twist and turn the cube in his hands nimbly. She giggled as she felt his heart thump against her head; it thudded as quickly as his mind spun equations around in his head.

Finally, he leaned forward and put his arms around her. He put his head on her shoulder and put the puzzle in front of her so that they both could see the moves he made. "Okay," he said nervously. "This puzzle is all about math. So if you think about it long enough, you can find the right system of moves to solve it really quickly."

Rapidly, he twisted and turned the cube in his hands. Touko was amazed again at how quickly he laid into the puzzle; by the time her eyes caught up to his fingers, he already had half of the sides solved. "Wow, N! You're really good. You like puzzles, huh?"

He shrugged casually, continuing to rearrange the pieces. "When you live alone for most of your life, you get a lot of hobbies," he said quietly. He made the last few tweaks to the cube and set it down carefully in Touko's lap. "Done," he said proudly. "That was a really difficult algorithm to generate. I didn't think I was ever going to get it."

She arched her eyebrows at him in disbelief. "That took you like three minutes to figure out and solve. Is that a long time to you?"

"My record is forty-five seconds," he said nonchalantly.

Touko mouth fell open in shock. "Forty-five seconds? N, I could have sat there with that thing for forty-five days and never figured it out. What else can you do that I don't know about?"

He let a little smile pull at the corners of his mouth. He leaned back, now comfortable with her resting against him. "Well," he said hesitantly. "I'll tell you, if you agree to play a game with me."

"What kind of game?" she asked, curious at N's boldness.

"I get to ask you one question about yourself for every question I answer. Deal?"

She nodded and shook his hand in agreement. "Can I go first?" Touko asked,  
>practically vibrating with excitement. N nodded, smiling at her childishness. "Okay, okay…" she said, taking a deep breath. "I want to know when your birthday is."<p>

"September twenty-third," he answered. "What's your favorite thing to eat?"

"Chocolate covered almonds," she answered, smiling at how safe both of their  
>questions had been. She put her arm up around his face and stroked his hair as she watched the fire dance and pop. "What's the first thing you remember?"<p>

"That's a very hard question to answer," N said thoughtfully. "I don't usually think about my childhood." He inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent of Touko's hair, and tried to gather his thoughts. "I suppose I do remember one thing, but I-I-I don't know if you want to hear about it. It's not all that interesting."

"No, please, tell me. I want to know."

"I remember walking through the hallways of the castle, looking for someone. I was really small, maybe four at the most, so all the doors looked the same to me. I kept opening them, but there was never anyone inside. I ran and ran through corridor after corridor, but I never found who I was looking for. I wanted to go back to my room, but I didn't know where I was. I got really scared and I just sat down and cried until one of the servants found me.

"My father was angry with me, so he took away my train. I cried and cried, apologized over and over, but he just left me there. He didn't even say he was angry with me, he didn't even yell. He didn't do _anything_ at all. He just left me there, like I didn't exist. No one came to comfort me; I cried until I fell asleep.

"And that," he said calmly, "is the first thing I remember."

Touko felt tears rising in her eyes. She felt horrible for having to make him relive that moment again. She turned in his lap and put her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. "Oh, N, I'm sorry I asked you. I'm sorry I—" she started. He put his hand on her lips to quiet her.

"Don't be. You didn't have anything to do with it. It happened and that's all I can say about it. That's just how it was," he said gently. "I accepted it a long time ago."

She felt so silly being comforted by him about his horrible experience. He petted her hair tenderly, enjoying its soft texture and the feel of her warm body against his. "It's my turn now right?" he said, giving her a playful shake.

"Yeah," she said, smiling. She pulled herself up into his lap fully now and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Ask away."

"And you promise that you'll tell the truth?" he asked, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

"Of course," she said sweetly.

"Why did you come with me?"

She sighed weakly. "I've asked myself that question a dozen times," she said exasperatedly. "I can't really say why, but I can say this: I'm really glad I came. You're something special, N; don't discount yourself."

N hugged her closer to him. "Tell me more about you," she whispered quietly. "I want to hear it all, even the bad parts."

N smirked. "That's not much of a question."

She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm serious. I want to know it all—everything. "

"You realize that this means you lose the game, right?" he teased.

"Yeah, yeah—whatever! Don't keep me in suspense here."

He sighed. It was difficult to put into words the story of a life, especially his. He swallowed hard as his memories crashed over him like waves against rocks. He had closed them up for so long, buried them beneath a calm face and a cold demeanor; having them so close the surface made him feel anxious and small. He felt his heart sputter and his body tremble.

"I-I-I'm going to tell you story. A f-f-fairy tale," he said hesitantly.

She nodded her head in understanding. He couldn't tell her directly about his life; it was just too difficult for him. He had to disguise it with stories of other people. She took a deep breath, steadying herself for the emotional onslaught that she was sure was going to come her way.

N stood up slowly, holding Touko as he rose. He brushed the hair out of her face and held her hands in his. "Let's get out of the cold," he said. "You could catch pneumonia out here." He pulled her to the tent, stopping to pick up her sleeping bag.

He laid out her bedding for her and gestured for her to lie down. She pulled him down with her, putting her hand on his heart, just as she had the night they were in the tower together. She stroked his hair lovingly and placed his hand on her hips. He looked up into her deep blue eyes and took a steadying breath.

"Once upon a time…"


	6. Chapter 6 The Prince's Tale

Chapter 6 (The Prince's Tale):

"Once upon a time, there was a young Prince who lived in a castle in a faraway land. The Prince had lived in the castle his whole life—he was even born there—and knew very little of the world outside of his home. He was not troubled by this as a young child, for what more could the world possibly have to offer him that was better than the luxury of his castle?

"The Prince had no siblings and never knew his mother. His father, the King, had always found his son peculiar; he would spend hours on end talking to the Pokémon he brought home as if he could understand what they were actually saying. He chalked it up to the innocence of youth, a child's imagination. His son truly was a romance seeker—he was always off in his head, dreaming of places he had read about or seen in pictures. The King was particularly troubled by this; he wanted a scion who was worthy of bearing the title of King of Team Plasma, not a foolish day-dreamer.

"Though he never said it, the Prince knew that his father harbored nothing but resentment for him; he could see it in his eyes. Despite his father's coldness, the Prince still loved him; he was larger than life in his eyes the way a god is to a mortal. The King had such noble ideals, did so much good for innocent Pokémon that suffered terribly. The Prince only hoped that one day he would be able to do as much good as his father did and that one day he would see that he wasn't a waste.

"Desperate for his father's approval, the Prince confessed his greatest secret. He was _actually_ talking with the Pokémon, not just playing pretend. Naturally, the King dismissed his son with disgust. The Prince cried and begged his father to give him a chance to prove that this power truly was his. So, his father devised a test to finally put this delusion to rest.

"The next day, the King presented the Prince with an injured Zorua he had rescued. The Prince had never seen the Pokémon before, nor had he heard his father's grunts talking about the poor situation it had been saved from. The Prince took the little fox in his arms and held him for a long time before he finally spoke to it. It looked up at him with it light blue eyes; they held each other's gaze for some time. Occasionally, the Zorua would make quiet whimpering sounds and the Prince would respond by asking it questions about its life.

"Soon the Prince's eyes filled with tears and the little fox tried to lick at his hands, but it was quickly taken from his arms. As proof that he had truly understood what the Pokémon had said, the King made his son repeat back to him what he had learned about its life. The Prince, still crying, told his father that he had been making up the story to get his attention. The King, however, knew that his son was lying. He had seen the way that the Pokémon had looked at his son. It was as if they were connected in an ineffable way; they simply knew each other.

"The Prince refused to admit that the Zorua had actually spoken to him and curled up in a ball in the corner of his play room. The King was much larger than he was then and easily jerked him to his feet and questioned him again about the story he heard from the Pokémon. Still the Prince refused to answer his father. Infuriated by his son's noncompliance and dishonesty, the King grabbed the Prince's arms and pinned them behind his back. The Prince fought as hard as could, but he was still a child; the harder he fought, the tighter his arms were pulled back. He could feel things ripping and snapping in his shoulders. Eventually, he was in too much pain and too tired to fight back.

"He told his father everything that the Zorua had said about its life. It had been owned by a Trainer who worked it very hard. When it didn't win a battle quickly enough, the trainer would withhold food from it for days. If it lost a battle, then the trainer would yell and scream at him and when they got home, he would beat him; sometimes it would be beaten so badly that it couldn't stand.

"Upon hearing this, the King released the Prince's arms and the Prince fell to the floor. The King stood over him, a lust for power burning in his eyes, and rather than comforting his son he laughed. 'My son—who would have guessed—my son is the hero of legend!' he said and without another word, left the room. He didn't even look at his son after he let him drop to the floor. The Prince lay there a long time, crying as he tried to relocate his left shoulder. No one came to check on him; he was left alone in his play room for hours.

"As he finally managed to pop his arm back into place, the pain surging through his body like fire, the little Zorua limped over to him and lay down next to him. The Zorua gently licked his face and as the Prince continued to weep it told him that they were the same; they had the same heart. Then it said something to the Prince that he never forgot: 'I see that your master hurts you too.' The Prince often finds himself thinking of that moment and wonders how he could have been so foolish, how he could have allowed himself to get so caught up in his father's fervor—but that's still to come in this tale.

"The Prince was now officially forbidden to leave the castle; he was deemed too precious an asset to be put in danger. After all, he was the sole heir to the throne and the hero of legend. And so began the Prince's long isolation and preparation for his life as the King of Team Plasma. Over the years, his father brought more Pokémon to him, all of them abused and neglected, and each of them became his friend. He grew to hate trainers; all they did was hurt the only friends he had. Soon the Prince began to see the world in terms of absolutes. Everyone was inherently good or evil; there could be no middle ground in his eyes. His father's ideals took root in his mind and, after a while, the Prince no longer recognized them as ever having belonged to anyone else.

"The Prince's transformation was not one that was easy for him. He still fought against his father, especially when he was young. Sometimes, the Prince would fall to the ground and cover his ears. 'I don't want to do it anymore, Daddy!' he would plead. 'I don't want to hear about the bad trainers anymore!' His punishment would always be swift and though he would fight with everything he had, he would eventually hear about how his friends had been hurt.

"One time, he made his father so angry he broke his arm and two of his ribs. It wasn't likely the worst the Prince received at the hands of his father, but the Prince never remembered much of what happened when his father was angry with him. It was in this way that the King's ideals were forged into him. He learned that people were violent and abusive to innocents, ironically, through neglect and violence. And yet, through all of the beatings and loneliness, the Prince still loved his father. He doted upon him when he was cooperative. Sometimes, he would even be rewarded with new toys.

"After hearing the story of a Purrloin his father brought home, the Prince told the King that he wanted to free all the Pokemon in Unova; the next day he received a bright red train that puffed out real steam when it went around its tracks. He thought it was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. The more he repeated his father's beliefs back to him, the more praise and gifts he received from him. The King rarely struck him anymore; he was on the right track. He was finally living up to his father's genetic legacy. He could say that the Prince was his son with pride now.

"Many years passed and the Prince grew up. He studied many things and learned as much as he could about the world outside his prison. He charted stars and made maps of their movements. He learned as much as he could about the biology and behavior of many different types of Pokemon. He solved puzzles day and night to keep his mind alert and boost his problem solving skills. Most of all, he loved math; he took comfort in the idea of finite spaces and areas. There could, it seemed, be a definite answer for life. His father, though still cold and distant with him, was no longer bigger than him. The Prince surpassed him in height by nearly five inches. He didn't dare to strike his son with as much brutality as he used to; the worst he received was the occasional slap or punch to the face. Everything, it seemed, was wonderful in his life for the first time.

"Eventually, the day came when the Prince was ready to leave his castle and fulfill his destiny. He had trained and prepared for his moment of greatness his whole life—and when it finally came time to claim what was his, his birth-right, he found himself afraid. The world beyond his home was complicated and vast and he often found himself getting caught up in the most mundane of things. Something as common place as a toaster seemed magical to him; he had never been allowed to operate such machines when he lived at the castle.

"Little distractions aside, all was going according to his plan. Until the day he came to a place called Accumula Town and met a girl. She was breath taking in a way the Prince had never experienced before. He didn't gasp in exhaustion or fear; she made him dizzy and light-headed. He tried to explain it with biology, but he found himself answer less. He didn't feel sick, and yet he did; his heart beat fast and his palms were sweaty. All the air seemed to leave his body when she looked at him.

"When he found out she was a trainer, the Prince wanted to hate her like he hated all the other trainers he had encounter before her. When they battled, he heard her Pokémon say things he had never heard before. They all seemed to love her and want to protect her. Though they parted ways after their battle, she remained on his mind for months. The love her Pokémon felt for her made him question his resolve; maybe all trainers weren't bad after all.

"The King, however, saw her as just another pawn in his game. He knew that pitting her against his son would motivate him, would push him forward to his goal. And he was right—she did motivate the Prince. All he wanted was to see her again, to challenge her, to see that love that her Pokémon had for her—to see her face again. He had finally met a puzzle he couldn't solve. They became unlikely friends through their struggles and when the final battle came, they met each other as equals.

"And the rest," N said, "I think you can fill in for yourself."

Touko looked up at N's face; his eyes were now flowing freely with tears. His face remained hard and cold, no doubt the mask of years of practice at hiding his own emotions. She felt herself shudder as she thought about how terrible his life must have been as a child. To feel like his life was wonderful when he was only hit in the face…she couldn't begin to imagine what that would feel like.

N rolled over calmly on his back and took deep and steady breaths. He closed his eyes, trying with all his might to staunch the steady flow of tears that rolled down his calm face. Touko rolled over and laid her head on his chest and let her arm rest on his stomach. She didn't say anything; what could she really say to make it better? She just lied next to him, stroking his stomach gently with her fingers. As she dragged her fingers across the smooth fabric of his shirt, she felt a small bump in his skin.

She gently pulled back his shirt and saw just to right of his belly button a small pink jagged scar. "N," she said gently, "how'd you get this?" She let her fingers explore the pink crescent, feeling its roughness and how it protruded from his skin. N's breath caught in his chest as Touko gentle touch elicited an ecstasy in him he had only experienced once before. He wrapped his arm around her body and softly rubbed the small of her back with his thumb.

"I don't remember," he answered honestly. "I don't remember how I got most of them."

She flinched. It broke her heart to think of N scared and alone, in pain, waiting for someone to save him. She found tears of her own trickling out of her eyes. N smiled and wiped them away.

"Don't be sad. That's just how things were for me. I told you, I made my peace with that a long time ago."

She tried for a long time to think of the right thing to say him, but again she felt that there simply were no words that could convey how his story had made her feel. She couldn't articulate it to herself; rage and adoration, sympathy and vengeance all swirled in her and coalesced into some monstrous ball of indiscernible emotions. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream out, she wanted to hold him—it was as if she were being pulled in a million directions by her mind.

Hesitantly, Touko pulled his shirt up further, revealing all of his stomach and chest. She pushed herself up on her elbows and surveyed his body. She gasped in disbelief as she saw that he had several small scars all over his torso. Fine lines peppered his skin like freckles. All were in various stages of healing; some were soft and white, soon to be barely visible, while others were vibrant and pink. Those, she knew, would be the ones that he carried with him for the rest of his life.

She lay her head down on his stomach and sighed. The sound of his breathing was immensely relaxing and, despite the chill of night, N was still so warm. Overwhelmed with emotions, she lay there and just listened to the steady beating of his heart. He laid his hand on her head and stroked her hair gently, his own emotions battling it out inside of him as well.

He had kept the memories of his childhood locked up inside for so long that letting them out now made him feel as if he were being crushed by an immense and inescapable wall of water. It swept over him, taking his breath with it as it rolled on. It clogged and filled his lungs; there was no more air left in him. And yet, she was there, holding him; for once, he did not have to weather the storm alone.

Touko felt the feelings of desire she had kept bottled up all night being fueled by those of loving comfort that were now flooding her body. Not knowing how he would react, she turned her face into his stomach, finding the jagged pink scar, and gently kissed his flesh. His skin was soft and warm against her lips and she found herself wanting to kiss him over and over again. She held back, only to gauge his reaction to her impulsive and rash decision. He was perfectly still beneath her, as though he were off someplace else in his mind. She sighed, knowing that this was not the time to push him.

As she rolled back to her sleeping bag, she felt strong arms wrap around her and hold her still. She felt them lift her and pull her up; she was dazzled by N's new found eagerness for her. N lifted her chin and gazed into her eyes, his own still swimming with tears and full of a new emotion-lust. Unable to control her impulses any longer, she pulled him to her and took his face in her hands. He moved toward her hesitantly, still unsure of himself, and she closed her eyes in eager anticipation. His lips met hers and he kissed her gently and sweetly; she could feel herself melting, little sparks of electricity surging in her body. He began to pull away from her, his chest heaving heavily, but she pulled him back to her. He let his head rest against her forehead, his lips barely brushing against hers, tears still splashing down his eyes and now her cheeks.

"Don't stop, please; not yet," she whispered to him.

He demurely and tenderly rolled her on to her back and lay awkwardly on top of her. "I-I can't breathe, N," she sputtered, fighting back her urge to smile at his innocence. He hastily propped himself up on his elbow, his face now a bright shade of red over his faux pas. Touko kissed his cheek and brushed his minty hair out of his eyes; she pulled on his face gently, guiding him down to her lips. Her eyes shut in pleasure as she felt his lips crash into hers, this time with no hesitation or reserve.

Touko's lips felt divine against his. He loved how he made her gasp and arch her back up, pushing her hips into his. He slid his hands behind her back and clung to her passionately. She laced her fingers in his long green hair, pulling on it whenever he would try to pull away from her. She parted his lips and deepened their kiss, her tongue lightly flicking and swirling against his. He felt as if he were floating in space, as if there was no gravity to keep him grounded. His head buzzed with pleasure as he heard her moan as he pulled away and kissed her neck.

He sat up on her, pulling his shirt off. Touko's heart pounded and thudded against her ribs, as anticipation thudded through her body. N rolled off of her and had her hold her arms up over her head; to her chagrin, she felt his large thermal slide over her head.

"You felt cold," he said dreamily, his face full of soft and warm feelings.

She sighed in frustration as he kissed her lightly on the cheek and pulled her sleeping bag over her. He lied on his back next to her, his eyes closed and a look of satisfaction dancing across his face. She rolled over and put her arms around him, resting her head against his chest. He stroked her hair lightly until she fell asleep, a thoroughly pouty look still plastered on her face. His tears had finally stopped and he felt a smile spread across his face. Everything, it seemed, was truly wonderful in the Prince's life for the first time ever.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Touko awoke the next morning to N gently pulling his shirt over her head. She laughed as it got stuck over her face and N desperately tried to disentangle her from it. Exasperated, she sat up and tugged it off and handed it to him, a smile playing on her sleepy face. She sighed as she watched him redress; she had dreamed of him all night long. She felt her face growing red as she allowed herself to revisit them and immediately wished that she hadn't.

N stretched out his long limbs, yawning groggily. Touko smiled as she took him in, stifling a laugh more than once as she took in his ragged clothing. She then remembered that she currently looked just as ridiculous and fell back into her sleeping bag in annoyance. She rolled on to her side and pulled her bag over to herself. She rifled through it until she found her cell phone.

She took a deep breath in preparation for the onslaught of missed calls and unanswered text messages that she had been dodging. She had no idea how to explain her decision to her friends and family. She groaned as she imagined what her mother was going to say to her when she had to explain that she was going to travel around with a man she barely knew. _This is going to be brutal_, Touko thought as she finally turned on her phone.

She immediately wished she hadn't. As her touch screen's backlight illuminated, a flood of unread messages popped up on the screen; twenty-three, to be precise. "Ugh," she groaned, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. Reluctantly, she sat back up and opened the first of several messages from Bianca.

_Touko—Cheren said he saw you ride away on Reshiram with that N guy. Where are u?_

She felt herself cringe. Of all the people to see her leave with N, it had to be Cheren. She was sure he had exaggerated what he had actually seen to make it seem as though she had been abducted. After reading through several more messages from Bianca, all asking her where she was, she came to one from Cheren. She knew he must have been worried about her to actually text her; Cheren never texted anyone.

_Are you okay? I saw that freaky guy put you on Reshiram; you looked terrified. Please let me know that you are safe._

Touko rolled her eyes, her worse fears confirmed. She was certain that Cheren had told everyone, including her mother, that she had been kidnapped by a bizarre green-haired man who whisked her away in a storm on the back of dragon. She could see it now—her mother having a panic attack as he recounted the whole tale of her capture, including how he had gallantly tried to rescue her before the mad man had swept her away. _Fantastic_, she thought bitterly.

She glanced up over her phone to check on N. He was sitting crossed legged in in the entryway of the tent, humming quietly to himself as he doodled something in the dirt with his finger. She swallowed hard as she skipped through the various other messages Cheren and Bianca had sent her; finally, she came to the text she had feared reading the most. A tiny envelope flashed at her, bearing the name Mom. Suddenly, her phone seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. Touko could feel sweat dripping down her face as she tentatively touched the screen and opened the message.

_It's mom, Touko. Where the hell are you? Cheren and Bianca just told me that some weird guy put you on a dragon and flew off with you. What's going on? Are you okay? Please, please, PLEASE answer me, Baby._

Touko dropped her phone and let her head fall into her palms. _Oh, God_, she thought, dread filling her. _How am I going to explain this to them?_ She sucked in a deep breath and picked her phone up. She opened a message from Bianca and typed a response to her before her bravery had time to dissolve.

_Bianca, it's Touko. Please tell everyone that I haven't been kidnapped by a deranged man and that I am fine. I'll be home soon._

She stared at the last line of the message for a long time before actually sending it. She had planned on going back home with N at some point during their journey—just not so soon. Of course, she knew that people were going to overreact to the whole situation, but if she just gave them some time to adjust to the idea…she sighed; even she didn't believe that. If she was being honest with herself, the reason she didn't want to go home was to avoid fighting with her mother.

It made her feel incredibly childish to admit this to herself. After all, she was nearly twenty years old; she was an adult now. She should be able to make all the mistakes she wanted. She sucked in her bottom lip, something she tended to do when she was stressed out, and contemplated her current situation. She had two options—go home and explain the whole mess or continue on with N as though nobody was missing her.

She hadn't been back to Nuvema Town since she had left nearly three years ago. The lure of returning to her home, of sleeping in her own bed (even if it was just for a night), of seeing her mother was excruciating. She wanted to show Professor Juniper how many Pokémon she had already seen and recorded in her Pokedex; at least she would be excited to hear that Touko and N planned on traveling the world for quite some time. She even found herself excited to introduce N to her mother; she wondered how both her mother and N would react to meeting each other.

As that awkward scene began to play itself out in her head, she found herself longing to hop on Reshiram or Zekrom with N and fly off, never giving Nuvema Town a backwards glance. Life could be about only her and N; they could come and go anywhere as they pleased, not having to explain themselves to anyone. She sighed, enjoying the notion of living a romantic and free life with him. Her head felt swimmy as she let her thoughts once again drift to her dreams of N. She felt herself blush and she lightly bit her bottom lip, trying to take her mind off of her wishful encounters with him.

She let out a low groan. There was no way she could enjoy her time with N when she knew that people would be worrying about her the whole time. It was inescapable; she had to go home and straighten this whole mess out. She stretched out her legs in front of her and yawned, suddenly feeling fatigued. She had a feeling that today was going to be very long.

Touko stood up and walked over to N. She sat down next to him and as he continued to draw intricate patterns in the dirt.

"Good morning, Touko," he said warmly. "Did you sleep well?"

"Better than you can imagine," she said coyly.

He looked at her inquisitively. "You find camping agreeable?" he asked, truly confused by her previous statement.

She smiled at him and giggled. "You could say that; especially when I have such good company."

N smiled, trying to keep the blush from his cheeks. "Ah," he said simply. He wanted to tell her how much he had enjoyed himself last night too, but the words just wouldn't come. He frowned, full of frustration. Touko put her arm around him and let her head lean against his shoulder.

"What are you drawing?" she asked.

"Just a tentative plan for the places I want to visit with you."

She leaned forward and inspected the complex network of cris-crossed lines and little dots. It all just looked like a tangled mess to her. "Uhm…" she said hesitantly, "is Nuvema Town on here?"

"Yes; I have it placed right there," he said pointing to a dot on the far left of his picture. "I think we should visit there in the summer so we can see the Tympole's spawn here."

"Yeah, about that…" she said timidly. "I checked my phone this morning and I guess my friends and my mom are kind of freaked out that I just took off without telling them anything...mostly because they think you've kidnapped me." She winced, preparing for his reaction.

"They think I've abducted you? Why would anyone think that?"

"My idiot friend Cheren saw you put me Reshiram while I was freaking out about the storm."

N smiled and nodded. "I guess I can see how he may have gotten the wrong idea. You looked like you were going to pass out."

"Yeah," Touko said, shuddering as she remembered the thundering of the storm. "Well, anyway, I think it would be best if we stopped off and explained that you are not some pervy creep holding me against my will before we continue on."

"Pervy creep?" N repeated, perplexed. "I don't know that expression. I take it that it isn't good to be 'a pervy creep.'"

"Not at all," Touko said, a smile spreading across her face. "They probably think you're corrupting my innocence."

"Me? They should be worried about my innocence with you around."

"Yes, but they don't think I'm a pervert."

"Oh—perv is slang for pervert. No, I suppose it's not good they think that about me. We better get you home before the police show up," N said jokingly.

Touko gathered up her bedding and hastily shoved what she could fit inside her pink satchel. She inhaled the berries N had brought back to her ravenously and was immensely grateful that they were going to a town with actual food. She was getting really sick of eating bitter berries and boiled roots.

N took down the tent and packed it away as she brushed the tangles out of her long hair. She pulled it up into her usual ponytail and put her hat in her satchel. She knew that if she wore it while they were riding on the dragon it would get blown away. She helped N tie his hair back, enjoying its softness and the masculine scent it possessed. He let his hat hang loosely on his head as he normally did. She wondered how he had managed to keep it on during their last flight.

They gave their campsite one last look over before N summoned Reshiram from his pokeball. The great white dragon looked around their campsite, surprised to see that they were still in the same place it had taken them last time.

"We'd like to go to Nuvema Town, Reshiram," N said calmly. "Do you mind taking us there?"

_Not at all. It'll feel good to stretch my wings. Please climb aboard._

Touko shuddered, still unused to the sensation of being communicated with telepathically. Reshiram's voice continued to echo in her head as she climbed on to the dragon's great feathery back. She could feel herself shaking as N sat down behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She wanted desperately to get off, to put her feet back on solid ground, to not have to go explain herself to her family.

"You can fly slower this time, if you want, Reshiram," Touko sputtered. "There's really no rush."

She could feel N's chest heave with laughter as the dragon let out a small growl. "He says you can't run from your problems forever. You might as well get it over with."

Touko huffed indignantly. _Way to use N as the messenger when you want to say something bratty_, she thought sourly.

"Hold on, Touko," N said gently, remembering her previous reaction to flight. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and she took a deep breath. The dragon stretched out its massive wings and began to flap them. Soon, they could feel Reshiram dip and bob; the forest floor began to look further and further away, the trees seeming to shrink in height. Touko shivered as the wind whipped past her, wishing that it was still summer rather than fall.

The forest turned to a green blur beneath their feet. N yawned lazily as he leaned his head over the side of the dragon to survey the land, as though this were a common occurrence for him. "We should be in Nuvema town in less than an hour," he whispered to Touko. She swallowed hard, hoping that he had miscalculated. She could feel Reshiram's muscles tighten beneath her and braced for whatever was about to happen.

The dragon shot forward in the air, much faster than she had expected or thought possible for something its size. She could barely breathe, partially from the shock and the altitude, but mostly out of dread. N seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself; he had a wide grin on his face and would often breakout in fits of laughter. Touko tried to convince herself that it had something to do with the thrill of flying rather than the terrified look on her face.

After what felt like a very short span of time, Touko began to feel the dragon descend. She turned awkwardly on Reshiram, burying her face into N's chest. Maybe she could just hide here until everything was over. The great dragon touched down and kneeled low for them to easily slide on to the ground. N had to catch her as she ungracefully tumbled off, her legs shaking violently. He stroked her hair gently as she fell on to him and held him to her for a few moments. Reshiram let out a low grumble of annoyance and N pulled away from her laughing as he returned the dragon to its pokeball.

Touko surveyed the area in which they had landed. She knew it instantly; they were on Route One, just outside of her home town. Her stomach turned itself in knots as she realized just how close her hour of despair was upon her. N grabbed her hand enthusiastically and pulled her forward.

"I don't want to do this," she whined, feeling her feet literally drag behind her.

N stopped and turned towards her, pulling her forward so that she lightly smacked into his body. He held her in his penetrating gaze for a moment before lightly kissing her on the forehead. "I'm nervous too," he said quietly. "But, you said it yourself; people who are worried about you think you've been kidnapped by a perverted man who rides a dragon."

She giggled as an image formed in her mind of a sleazily dressed N flinging her over his shoulder as he rode away on the back of a Dragonite, smoking a cigarette. She was glad he was with her to calm her down. She gently leaned forward and gave N a chaste and innocent kiss, just the way he kissed her. His lips felt warm and relaxing against hers; she felt him rub her back idly with his thumbs, sending little bubbles of warmth all through her body. She wanted to kiss him more passionately, but he pulled away from her and continued to drag her forward.

She sighed in defeat as she saw her small town pop into view on the horizon. She was still far away from it, but could tell almost nothing had changed since she had left. Her stomach felt as though it were full of stampeding Rapidashes. N put his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently, giving her silent encouragement. She swallowed hard; she was going to need all the encouragement she could get today.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

"Well, this is home," Touko said unenthusiastically as she and passed the welcome sign for Nuvema Town. As she and N stood in front of it, she read the newly repainted description of her home town. "'The start of something big.' Let's hope that's wrong today."

She trudged toward her house, knowing that everyone was already there waiting for them. She had texted Bianca that she and N would be there soon shortly after they had landed on Route One. N took in the quiet little town as they walked to her house.

"Your town is…quaint," he said thoughtfully. "I haven't seen a single person since we got here. It must have been nice to have grown up in such a small community."

Touko snorted. "You'd think so."

N looked at her inquiringly, his curiosity peaked by her cryptic answer. "It wasn't?"

"I guess it wasn't that bad or anything," she said, sighing. She felt so melodramatic explaining her petty problems to someone who _actually_ had a terrible childhood. "Everyone knows everyone's business here. It's a very gossipy place."

"Oh," he said quietly. A little frown pulled down the corners of his lips. Touko had been in a very cynical mood ever since they had landed. He hoped that seeing her home town would lift her spirits a little, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.

A cool breeze blew off the ocean; N stopped and inhaled deeply. He loved the smell of the sea. He had often fantasized about it when he was a child. His best imaginings of the scent didn't even come close to the real thing. There simply was no substitute for it; full of brine and richness, and yet it was calming and cool. He envied Touko for having been able to smell this air every day for seventeen years.

"N," Touko said quietly. "We're here."

Her house was exactly as he had pictured it; small and nondescript. Everything here was simple and plain; he adored that about Nuvema. His castle had been so opulent and grandiose that it was almost ridiculous. He hoped that one day he would be able to live in a town like this.

Touko sulked towards the door. She put her hand on the knob and took a deep breath. "You know, it's not too late to get back on Reshiram and head to where ever it was that you had on your itinerary," she said hopefully.

N gave her a little smile and shook his head. She let out a low groan and let her head slump forward a little bit. N stood behind her and gently rubbed her shoulders. She sighed as his fingers massaged away just a little of her worry; his touch was so comforting to her, almost irrationally so. "Oh, N, this is going to be such a mess," she whined. "How are you with loud noises?"

"Loud noises?" he repeated, confused.

"Yeah, my mother is going to enter full scream mode when she sees me. When I really piss her off, she yells louder than an Exploud."

"I'm alright with yelling…" he said timidly. "I can shut it out very well."

Touko shuddered as she remembered the Prince's Tale. Her feelings of dread were quickly replaced with grief and sympathy. "If it gets to be too much for you, just excuse yourself. I'll make something up for you," she said gently. "Let me do most of the talking, kay? I'm sure they'll all be pretty eager to lay into you, but just ignore them. They mean well, really, bu—"

N put his hand on her lips, silencing her. "I'll be fine, Touko. You on the other hand…" he said jokingly. She punched him lightly on the arm and gave him a pouty frown. "You have to open the door."

She hesitantly turned the door knob and pushed it barely open. Touko peeked through the small crack in the door and checked to see how many people awaited her in the living room. Bianca and Cheren were seated on her couch, looking more asleep than awake. Bianca's eyes blinked closed every few seconds, her head bobbing forward every time they jerked shut. Cheren mouth was fixed in a scowl and his eyes, though not drooping closed with sleep, looked blood-shot and weary. She felt incredibly guilty as she realized that they had been looking for her since she and N had left his  
>castle three days ago.<p>

Sweat broke across her forehead as she gently pushed the door open, hoping against all logic and reasonable thought that nobody would notice her. As soon as the door swung back announcing her arrival, her friends were upon her in flurry of shrieks and hugs.

"Oh my Gosh, Touko, we were so worried about you! Where the heck have you been?" Bianca screeched as she grabbed Touko and hugged her fiercely. "Me and Cheren have been up looking for you for days!"

As Touko gasped for air, trapped in Bianca's freakishly strong hug, she could see Cheren staring N down angrily over her shoulder. "Bianca, I c-c-can't breathe," she said, finally wiggling out of her iron-like arms.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Touko!" Bianca cried as the breathless Touko held on to her sides in anguish.

"Are you alright, Touko?" Cheren said, pushing Bianca aside. "Are you hurt?" Cheren looked into her eyes, his gaze intense and full of anger. He moved in close to her, his mouth pressed to her ear. "Did he hurt you?" he whispered.

"What? No!" she spat, pushing Cheren away from her. "I'm fine, aside from almost having Bianca collapse one of my lungs."

Cheren looked her over, a hurt look flickering in his eyes. "What happened to you clothes?" he asked incredulously. "Why are they all ripped up?"

She groaned a little and put her head in her palms before answering. "When you have an epic battle with two dragons to decide the fate of the world, your clothes tend to get just a little messed up," she said sarcastically. Cheren continued to eye N suspiciously while N stared placidly over his head.

"So," he said, annoyed, "where did you two go? It must have been very secluded and intimate; Bianca and I have been looking for you everywhere."

Touko glanced at N to see if he picked up on Cheren's insinuations; he continued to stare friendlily at the scowling Cheren, clearly oblivious to his jabs. Touko smiled, thoroughly enjoying N's innocence and social inexperience; at least this wasn't an awkward conversation for someone.

"We camped out in Pinwheel Forest for a few days," Touko mumbled. "Oh! I almost forgot to formally introduce you guys. Bianca, Cheren—this is N."

N nodded politely at them. "It's nice to meet you both."

"I remember you from Chargestone Cave!" Bianca squealed. "You looked so—" She stopped herself, blush spreading across her face. Touko let out a small giggle, enjoying her friend's moment of awkwardness.

"Oh. My apologies for forgetting having met you previously, Bianca" N said warmly.

"It's no problem, really," Bianca sputtered.

N turned toward Cheren and calmly extended his hand to him. Cheren looked at it as though it were covered in unspeakably filthy things. Oblivious to the snub, N left his hand hanging awkwardly out in the air as he stared at Cheren expectantly. After several moments of awkward silence, he turned to Touko, a puzzled look on his face and his hand still extend toward Cheren.

"Is this not what people normally do when they meet for the first time? I remember reading about it in an etiquette book once," he said, genuinely perplexed at Cheren's behavior.

"Yeah, men usually shake hands when they meet for the first time. Cheren's just being rude," she said pointedly.

"How am I supposed to react to this!" Cheren yelled as he balled his hands into fists. "You want me to be happy that you had me tirelessly searching for you, fearing that you had been kidnapped, when you were off on a little romp in the forest with him? Oh gee, I can't imagine why I'd be angry about that! For Arceus's sake, put your damn hand down!"

Cheren grabbed N's wrist and forcefully pushed it down. "Nice to meet you, Cheren," N said calmly, mistaking the act of aggression for a hand shake. "I hope we can be friends."

Cheren turned to Touko, a look of confusion and disbelief etched on his face. "Are you serious right now?" he spat.

"Cheren…" Bianca said quietly. "Why don't you calm down before you say something stupid."

Cheren stepped closer to Touko, ignoring Bianca completely. "You're like a sister to me, Touko. I can't stand to think what might happen to you with that freak!"

Touko winced as Cheren came even closer to her. "Don't call him that," she said softly, yet authoritatively. "He doesn't know any better. He…didn't get out much as a kid."

She felt herself backing up further and further as Cheren continued to advance upon her. She thudded against the door, the knob sharply jabbing her in the back. Her heart was hammering painfully against her ribs as she felt anger and fear surge through her veins. Cheren slammed his fist on the door next to her head. She gasped in shock; she had never seen him so worked up before.

"Cheren, stop it!" Bianca squeaked. "You're freaking her out!"

"Touko, please, tell me you aren't going to leave with him again. Sister—"

"I don't want to hear it," she said flatly.

Touko pushed Cheren away from her, sending him staggering backwards. "Get out," she said, her voice shaking with anger. "_Now_." She yanked the door open and walked towards N, whose face was once again painted into a fine mask of blank tranquility. She could only guess at what bubbled beneath the surface as she watched his emerald eyes stare idly at Cheren.

"Touko, I'm sorry," Cheren said weakly. He grabbed her arm lightly, keeping her from reaching N completely. She glanced at N, seeing a hint of rage flash in his eyes. Her heart thumped and jolted anxiously in her chest. "It's just—"

"Please, just leave," she said quietly. "Get some sleep; you're not yourself right now."

As she tried to pull away from him, she felt his hand tighten uncomfortably around her arm. "Don't be stupid, Touko," he pleaded, gazing into her eyes with a manic intensity.

Touko struggled to break free of Cheren's grasp, but he was stronger than she had remembered. "Let go of me, Idiot," she spat. He tightened his grip on her wrists and continued to stare her down. "Ow, Cheren. Seriously—let go." She couldn't help but wince as his fingernails bore down into her skin. "That's enough, Cheren!" She felt the tears of frustration she had been holding back spill out from her eyes.

Without warning, N wrenched Cheren's hand from her arm. As he peeled back his hand, Touko could hear several of his fingers pop in a sickening sort of way. Cheren's face drained of all color as N stood between him and Touko, who was now sobbing outright. She could hear N grinding his teeth, trying to control his anger.

"Touko asked you to leave," N said, his voice quivering with rage. "Please go."

Cheren, who was cradling his now swollen and purpling hand, looked at N with utter contempt. Without saying another word, he balled his good hand into a fist and punched N with all his might in the stomach. N exhaled lightly, as though he had been hit by a passing Butterfree. He let a cold chuckle escape his lips as he took in Cheren's bewildered face.

"You may say what you like about me, but I would never do what you just did to her; I would never hurt her."

Cheren was stunned into silence, the gravity of his rash actions sinking in. N grabbed his arm and pulled him to the open door. He held him in his furious gaze for a moment before shoving him out, sending Cheren flying backwards. He slammed the door shut with such force that one of the framed pictures hanging on the wall fell to the ground. After several steadying breaths, he walked back to Touko and led her to the couch.

The cushions felt delightfully soft and relaxing as she let herself sink into them. N sat beside her and carefully examined her arm. His chest was heaving heavily and painfully as he struggled to catch his breath. "Are you okay?" he asked softly, turning her arm gently in his trembling hands. "It looks like you'll have a little bruise, but it doesn't t look like he broke your skin with his nails."

"Oh, Touko," Bianca whimpered quietly. "I'm so sorry. I knew he was upset, but I had no idea he'd take it this far." She came and sat on the couch next to N, who was still inspecting Touko's injuries. "He means well. I'm sure after he's had some sleep, he'll feel terrible and apologize to both of you."

Touko nodded; Bianca had been so quiet during the whole ordeal, she actually forgot she was still there. "Why are you being so cool about this, anyway?" she asked, drearily. "Aren't you furious with me too?"

Bianca smiled. "Of course I am! You had me all worried and then it turns out you were just on a camping trip with some guy. No offense, N. I'm sure you're a lovely person. I'm not mad because you wanted to go off on your own with N; you're a big girl, Touko. You can decide what you want to do with your life all on your own.

"I'm hurt because you felt like you couldn't tell me. I think that's what bothered both of us the most, once we found out the truth. We love you, Touko; you really are like a sister to us. Like a good sister and friend, I just want you to be safe no matter what you decide to do.

"I'm not freaking out because I can see now that you are in good hands." Touko lunged across N and hugged Bianca tightly, a fresh round of tears pouring from her eyes. "I'm a little jealous of you, too," Bianca whispered playfully in her ear. Touko let out a little giggle and smiled frailly. "Your mom is gonna freak when she sees that he's cute."

Touko sat upright, her muscles stiffening. "Where is my mom, anyway?" she asked hesitantly. She could feel her stomach roll and tighten as she thought about what her mother would do when she found out that she had been having fun the whole time they thought she was missing.

"Oh!" Bianca cried. "I forgot to tell you! Your mom went with Professor Juniper to Icirrus City to look for you early this morning. I called them as soon as I got your message, but they're so far north that they're still hours away from getting here. She said they might not make it back tonight, especially if they have to stop and let their Pokémon have a break from flying."

Touko exhaled and fell back against the couch's soft pillows in relief. "I hope they don't make it back today. I've had all the excitement I can handle."

Bianca smiled at her and glanced out the little window behind the couch. "I should really go check on Cheren," she said quietly. "I'm sure he's busy beating himself up over what he did to you."

"Good," Touko said darkly.

Bianca rolled her eyes and stood up. She stretched out her limbs and yawned groggily. She turned toward Touko and took in her and N's ragged appearance. "You should really consider changing your clothes. You kinda look like hobos. Do you have any other clothes to change into, N?"

"No," he said quietly. "Everything is back at my castle…"

Bianca raised her eyebrows at the word castle. She knew that N had referred to himself as "King", but she never took it literally. "Oh, uh, well, I can let you borrow some of my dad's old stuff. They might be a little big, but it's better than…that look."

"Thank you," N said flatly. "You are a very kind person."

Bianca blushed, bathing in the compliment. "T-t-thank you," she sputtered. She walked to the door in a daze, her head full of whimsical thoughts; she let out a little shriek as she carelessly stepped on the broken picture frame. "Sorry," she called as she opened the door. "I'll be back in a bit with the clothes."

The door shut quietly and Bianca's footsteps on the road slowly grew quieter. N sat staring at Touko, his face once again moulded into the familiar cold mask. They sat in awkward silence for a long time. N was still breathing heavily as he stared at her. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind of everything that had just happened. She had never seen Cheren so infuriated or Bianca so surprisingly articulate. The whole thing seemed to pass in a giant blur, like someone had hit the fast forward button on her life.

"Touko," N said softly. "I'm sorry for what I did to your friend's hand. I just…I couldn't…"

"It's alright," she said warmly. She opened her eyes and scooted close to him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. "He was being a real ass about everything. He's always been dramatic like that. I've never seen him get that worked up before, though."

He fumbled with his fingers nervously. His mouth felt dry and his throat was tight as he remembered the look on Touko's face when Cheren had squeezed her arm. She had looked so small and fragile, so afraid of what he may do to her.

"It wasn't him—it was you," he said quietly. "The way you looked when he d-d-did that…it was how I used to look when my f-f-father would…I couldn't stand to see you suffer through that."

"Oh, N," she said gently. She looked up into his deep emerald eyes; all hints of anger had dissipated from them and been replaced by sorrow and worry. She took his face in her hands and stroked his cheeks gently with her thumbs. "I'm alright, really. It's just a little bruise."

N took her hand from his face and inspected her arm thoroughly for what seemed like the hundredth time to Touko. His eyes rested on the small purplish-yellow bruise forming in the middle of her forearm. He delicately pressed his lips to the little bruise and softly kissed it. Touko stroked his hair affectionately, enjoying the innocent and sweet gesture as well as the sensuous feeling of his lips on her skin.

"My friends always get hurt, no matter how hard I try to keep them safe," he whispered, letting go of her hand. "But, I can't let that happen to you again, Touko. You're my best friend in the world, besides Zoroark. I have to protect you, keep you safe. It's like Bianca said; it's what good friends do."

Touko threw her arms around N's neck and crawled into his lap. He wrapped one arm around Touko and gently stroked her back; she buried her face in his neck and nuzzled it playfully, inhaling his alluring scent deeply. She had never felt so safe with another human being in all her life; his arms felt like a calm harbor in the middle of a violent storm. She felt so small in them, so protected and cherished.

"I haven't given you the official tour of my house yet, have I?" Touko said, springing to her feet with new vigor. "Come on!" She held her hand out to N; he carefully placed his hand in hers, still shaking slightly from the altercation. She pulled him to his feet, staggering back slightly under his weight.

"This," she said gesturing to the cramped little room they were currently in, "is the living room. We don't do much in here, except watch television. Since my mom is always outside, it doesn't get used all that much."

N stared at the television in open and unabashed amazement. "It's like an antique," he said, dazzled by its clunky and antiquated appearance. "I bet it has a cathode ray tube in it…" He eyed it hungrily, eager to dismantle it. "If I could just pop this seam open, I could get at it…" Sensing the imminent danger her television was in, Touko pulled him out of the living room and into the little kitchen.

"This is the kitchen. We cook in here, obviously. Really not all that exciting," she said casually. N gaped in amazement at all the electronic devices sitting out on the counters. He could have spent days in this room examining and testing all the wonderful machines. "You absolutely cannot take any of these apart. My mom would starve to death if you killed the microwave."

She led him from the kitchen to the stairs and towed him up behind her as he gazed longingly at the television. They came to a little landing that led into a tiny hallway with a single door at the end of it. Touko walked up to it slowly, her heart beating quickly in nervous anticipation. "This is my room," she said, turning the knob.

She gasped as the door swung open, revealing her room exactly as she had left it three years. She felt as though she had stepped through a door that led to the past as she took in the familiar little room she loved. Her trinkets lay haphazardly across her dresser and her clothes were still hanging perfectly in her closet. The curtains had been drawn back, exposing the beautiful view of the sea she had. Her bed was perfectly untouched, its pink bedclothes freshly pressed and laundered.

She sat on the bed and patted it invitingly; N sat down next to her and took in the girlish room, a look of delight on his face. "Your home is magical," he said earnestly. His eyes sparkled in wonderment as he took in all the modern appliances she had crammed into such a tiny space. She giggled at his dazzled expression and fell back into the mattress.

"_This_ is magical," she said, smiling. "I haven't slept in my own bed in so long." She snuggled down into her comforter's warm, downy embrace. She exhaled, letting go of the drama from earlier; it melted out of her body as she sunk further into the bed. She grabbed the fabric of N's shirt in her fingers and gently pulled him down so that he lied next to her.

"I've never had a boy in my bed before," she said coyly as she took his cap off his head and tossed it aside.

"Me either," N said candidly, his eyes still full of wonderment and happiness. He laughed at his own awkward answer and ran his fingers through his hair nervously. Touko smiled and brushed his bangs away from his eyes.

She put her arms around his neck and absently played with his hair; she closed her eyes, enjoying both the heat of her bed and N's body. She pressed herself against him and kicked her shoes off; she twined her legs in his, easily pulling off his sneakers with her feet. He felt dizzy and was grateful that he was lying down as he felt her hands grip his waist.

He shook as he felt her fingers tickle the skin on his hips just above the waistband of his pants. Fear stuck in his chest as she whispered softly in his ear, "Kiss me." His hearted pounded out a message of surrender as she slid her hand up under his shirt and gently stroked his stomach. He could no longer control his trembling, shaking like an intimidated child.

"Take you time," she said gently. "There's no need to rush. We're alone."

Her voice was like warm honey to his ears. Timidly, he put his arms around her and stroked her back softly. He dug his fingers into her back, overcome with passion as he felt the softness of her skin and the elegant curve of her body beneath his hands. She gasped as he roughly pulled her hips into his. He slid his trembling hands up her body, luxuriating in the gentle contours of her soft and feminine body.

He held her face tenderly in his hands, enjoying the pink blush that was rising in her cheeks. Her eyes were closed still and a little smile played on the corners of her lips. He could feel her heart thundering in her chest as he tentatively pulled her face toward his. As their lips finally came together, she let out a soft moan and he ravenously gripped the back of her head, twining his fingers in her hair. She seemed to melt into him as he deepened their kiss, her fingers feverishly grasping the fabric of his shirt as they let their tongues explore each other's mouths with a passion neither had experienced before.

He pulled away from her, the feeling of her lips still lingering on his mouth and in his mind. He gulped in deep breaths, trying to steady his panicked heart as she kissed along his jaw and down his neck. She tugged on his shoulders desperately, pulling him so that he was now lying on top of her. He looked into her deep blue eyes and smiled as he saw the desire that was burning in him echoed in her eyes. Giving in to his instincts, he slid his hand down her delicate frame and grabbed her thigh, pulling her even closer to him.

He pressed his lips gently to her neck and kissed her lightly and timidly. His touch sent little waves of euphoria through her body and she couldn't help but sigh in pleasure as he placed his lips on hers and kissed her sweetly and chastely. He let his forehead rest on hers as he gazed lovingly into her eyes. She could feel his chest heave against her body, passion leaving both of them breathless.

"Touko," he whispered, a little smile bending the corners of his lips. "I—"

He stopped as he heard a door close from downstairs. "Hello?" a squeaky voice called. "Touko? N? I have the clothes." They held their breath as they heard Bianca searching the bottom level of the house for them. "Anybody home?" she called, confusion and fatigue evident in her voice.

"I think I hate your friends," N said half-jokingly, trying to keep his misery from seeping into his voice. She smiled and gave him a little push; he rolled off Touko and stared moodily out the window.

Touko sighed, equally as frustrated by the interruption as N, and rolled off the bed. She hastily adjusted her clothes and tried to take her mind off of the feeling of N's body pressed against hers. She felt a little dizzy still from their passionate embrace and as she tried to steady herself, she could see the knob on her bedroom door turning.

"So do I," she groaned miserably.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry you guys. I didn't mean to, er, interrupt…" Bianca sputtered awkwardly, blush rising in her cheeks.

Touko, still slightly disheveled and flushed from her embrace with N, felt thoroughly humiliated. "You didn't interrupt anything," she mumbled feebly as she glared at the floor. Her denial felt flimsy even to her ears, especially considering that there was a man in her bed. Bianca looked at her skeptically, glancing at N, who was still unkempt from their embrace. She smiled at Touko knowingly and playfully bounced her eyebrows at her.

"Sure," she said devilishly. "So, were you kids playing Wii then?"

"Shut up, Bianca," Touko whined miserably. She hated feeling foolish.

"Oh, Touko, you're blushing!"

Touko groaned and let her face fall into her palms. "Sometimes, Bianca, I want to punch you," she grumbled. Bianca giggled and swatted her lightly with the large bag of clothes she had in her hands.

"Here's the clothes my dad said you could use, N," she said cheerfully. N nodded dully, still staring out the window moodily. "Most of them are going to be kinda short on you and they're all pretty dated looking. My dad's not the best dresser."

"Thank you for thinking of me when we've only just met," N said flatly. "I'm sure they'll be fine until I can buy some clothes of my own." He sat up on the bed and adjusted his long hair, still ruffled and messy from Touko's grasp. He scooted to the edge of the bed and gracefully rose to his feet. Bianca walked into the little room and handed N the bag of clothing. He smiled warmly at her and she let out a school girl like giggle.

Touko rolled her eyes at her. "Who's blushing now?" she said triumphantly as Bianca's face colored up a bright shade of pink. Bianca dissolved into a fit of nervous laughter and Touko smirked at her with a look of utter satisfaction. N stared at the two girls, confused by what they both found so entertaining. He looked around the room curiously; perhaps there was something he was missing.

Bianca gasped in air, holding her now aching sides and smiled brightly at Touko. "Well, I have to get back home. I wanna get some sleep before dinner. I feel like I've been awake for a thousand years!" she said with surprising energy. As she turned to leave, her hand on the door knob, she stopped; quietly, face still toward the door, she whispered, "Cheren says he's very sorry for any pain he's caused either of you."

Touko rolled her eyes, still not ready to forgive her friend. "Maybe he should try apologizing to us in person rather than sending messages through you," she said sourly.

Bianca sighed; she really did have the world's most stubborn best friends. "I told him you'd say that." She pushed open the door and walked to the stairs. As she descended them, a broad smile broke out across her face. "Touko!" she called. "Be good! Don't do anything I wouldn't!"

Touko could hear her devious laughter even after she had slammed the door to her room shut. This day just got consistently worse; she felt as though it had been one long parade of terrible and humiliating incidences after another. All she wanted was to curl up in her bed and wake up in Pinwheel Forest with N staring at her like she was more fascinating than a calculus book. As she stood staring at the door, lost in a daydream where she imagined being read cover to cover, N came up behind her and hesitantly cleared his throat.

"I-I want to change now. I think you pulled the sleeve off my shirt of when we were, uh, i-i-i-n bed," he finished awkwardly. She turned around, snapped back into reality, and looked at N's white over shirt. Sure enough, the sleeve that had been barely attached since their battle was now completely detached and lying in the middle of the floor, along with his hat and their shoes.

_Great_, she thought, her embarrassment heightened. _No wonder Bianca thinks she 'interrupted something.' It looks like I ripped his clothes off. Well, I kind of did, I guess…_She shook her head, trying to block out images of N lying on top of her, bare chested and grasping her hands as she shuddered from pleasure. She left the room, her face screwed up in concentration as she focused on naming off all the Pokémon in the Unova region in order.

_Snivy, Servine, Serperior, Tepig, Pignite, Emboar, Oshawott, Dewott, Samurott…_she thought as she descended the stairs. She sat down on the edge of the couch, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight spilling in through the little window, and tapped her fingers absently. _Patrat, Watchog…I wonder what Bianca brought N to change into? I bet its all old man clothes; they probably won't look any good on him._

She closed her eyes and let herself fall back into the overstuffed cushions. She couldn't help but imagine N changing. She felt herself blush, but rather than shy away from her imaginings, she allowed herself to indulge in them. She let her mind float back to their night together in the tent; it seemed so far away now, almost as if it had happened in another lifetime. She remembered the feeling of her lips on N's warm skin, the strange and violent contours of his scars on her fingertips, and the dizzying sensation of being held so close to his body.

The vision of the pink crescent scar burned in her mind like the sun. She tried not to think about how he might have gotten it, but she already knew who had been the one to give it to him. The bile in her stomach boiled as she thought of Ghetsis holding down N, still no more than a boy, and dislocating his shoulder. She grabbed her arm, a reflexive response to the thought of pain, and rubbed it tenderly; she wondered how he had endured over two decades of that reality when even the mere idea of it made her cringe.

_I wonder what scars he has that I can't see_, she thought dismally. She was well aware that some scars were not visible anywhere on his body; some resided deep in him, hidden away from view from everyone like a well-guarded secret. She remembered how he looked when Cheren had grabbed her arm; the brief flash of fury in his normally calm green eyes had been terrifying. She never realized how much he looked like his father until that moment. Their faces were the same in many ways, only was twenty years younger and considerably more fragile looking.

In some ways, N's past traumas were plainly obvious. His odd and distant behavior around people was off-putting to say the least. It was only after several encounters with him that Touko realized that he was actually a very lonely person who longed for normal human companionship. She sighed as she thought back on how their strange friendship had formed; it seemed so unlikely at the time that they would ever become anything more than superficial acquaintances at best.

He barely said more than a handful of words to her in the beginning; he always stood noticeably far from her, as though he wished to be removed from the possibility of touching her at all. She never really minded; why should she have then? He was little more than a stranger to her and she to him. The most she knew of him was that he claimed to be able to speak to her Pokémon. It seemed an incredible lie to her at first, as she suspected it sounded to everyone he told, but she soon realized that he was being completely honest.

His company, however strange it may have been, was a welcome break from the hours of solitude she often had on her journey and soon she began to welcome his mysterious appearances fondly. As much as she had hated to admit it to herself at the time, she found him attractive in a peculiar sort of way. He had such a sweet, inviting face and a child-like sense of wonder in him that she still envied. She felt a little like a giddy school girl when he would flip his long hair out of eyes and look at her with unparalleled interest, almost as if she were a specimen to be study for long hours under a microscope.

He began to converse with her easily, sometimes for hours. He asked her all sorts of questions about her life and her new adventure with Pokémon. His questions were often strange, the kind of things that most people would feel embarrassed to admit they didn't know or had never done. She smiled slightly as she remembered watching N feverishly try to figure out how to work a vending machine. He felt comfortable asking her almost anything and, oddly enough, she felt comfortable answering him honestly; eventually, he even began to divulge some information about himself, though it was shallow and safe.

Everything changed after that day on the Rondez-View Ferris Wheel. After N's bizarre confession, she found herself at odds with her feelings; she enjoyed him immensely and yet he was now to be here enemy. He was the most interesting person she had ever met. He had such a vast amount of knowledge floating around in his mind it was almost dizzying; and, yet, he wasn't cocky or a know-it-all. He was quiet and timid, gentle mannered to a fault. He often chattered faster than she could keep up with, but he never minded slowing down or explaining exactly what he meant to her.

Perhaps the worst thing about him was his single-mindedness. Everything was in terms of absolutes with him. There could only be one right answer; grey was a non-existent color in his spectrum. Everyone was inherently bad or good in his eyes, just as he said himself during his tale, and there was no changing their true nature. It persisted no matter how much the person sought to change. Hence, why he wanted to liberate everyone's Pokémon, even the seemingly well-loved; he could never be sure that their masters had never betrayed others before them.

They carried on their strange relationship after Nimbasa City as if nothing had happened. Touko always kept it in the back of her mind, though; she sought to change his mind, to prevent his dream from becoming a reality. That was when she began to realize that N's odd behavior was more than simple quirks. Human touch made him shiver and stutter, as though he were a wild animal that had never been exposed to it before. She could sense in him an almost manic craving for intimacy, for real friendship, and yet he never let his walls come down with her. His naïve view of the world, his inexperience with everyday things, the odd way he regarded humans—they were all bizarre pieces in the puzzle of N.

Even now, as he stood in her room changing after their passionate embrace, she was still clumsily trying to piece him together. His story of abuse and neglect made her tear up just thinking about it. He had had his bones broken by the one person who was supposed to care for him; he had known nothing his brief life but fear and loneliness because of humans. It was no wonder he was so standoffish with her in the beginning; it was amazing he even let her touch him now.

"What are you thinking about so hard, Touko?" N asked. Touko eyes snapped open, pulled once again back into reality by his voice. She turned her head to find him; all she could see of him were his familiar dirty sneakers on the stairs. He was purposefully standing behind the wall to avoid being seen. "Are you trying to figure out a riddle?"

She laughed; only N would think that. "You could say that," she said jovially. "If you come down, maybe you can help me figure it out."

She could hear him inhale deeply, as though this option was particularly unsavory. "O-o-okay, but you have to promise you won't laugh at me."

"Laugh at you?" she repeated, a little puzzled. "Why would I laugh at you?"

"Just promise," he groaned.

"Okay; I promise I won't laugh at you," she said exasperatedly. Sometimes he really did remind her of a child.

Hesitantly, he put his foot on the next step and slowly began to descend the stairs. Touko covered her mouth in horror as she saw what he was wearing. Hanging almost two inches short were a pair of navy blue golf pants with little green Snivies stitched all over them; they were also one or two sizes too tight on him, making it difficult for him to move easily. His normal, non-descript black thermal had been replaced by a light pink polo shirt, complete with a tiny pocket bearing an embroidered Sandile.

He stood at the bottom of the stairs, his arms held out to the side to allow her to fully absorb his appearance. "Oh, wow; that's a lot of color," she said desperately trying to not let the laughter that was growing inside of her escape out her lips.

"I look ridiculous," he said flatly, letting his arms drop to his sides in disgust.

"No, you don't," she said reassuringly. She got up and walked over to him; she put her hand on his shoulder and rubbed it sympathetically. "People wear this kind of outfit when they want to go golfing. You look sporty."

"Really?" he said raising his eyebrows in suspicion. "Why would anyone dress like this voluntarily?"

"It's part of the fun of golf; it's like a tradition or uniform," she lied. Bianca's father was the only person she knew who enjoyed dressing so flamboyantly when he went golfing. Everyone else she knew dressed uptight and formally, as though golf were something special to get fancied up over.

"Golf…" he said thoughtfully, as he tugged at his uncomfortably tight pants. "I don't think I want to try this sport."

"It's really boring," Touko agreed. "You're much better suited for games of strategy."

"I'm proficient in many sports," he said proudly. "I'm more than proficient in others."

"Oh really?" she said playfully. "Like which ones?"

"Well," he said as he casually grabbed her hand and pulled her to the couch, "I've been playing basketball my whole life. I've never played against anyone, but I was frequently complemented by my teacher on my form and technique. I even helped him develop plays for his team."

"Wow," Touko said, honestly impressed. "I had no idea you played basketball."

"I skate too. Mostly half-pipe; there wasn't really anywhere practical to install a street course in the castle. I gave it a try when I was out on my journey, but I much prefer the weightlessness of the half-pipe."

"You skate?" she said in disbelief. He nodded, a smile playing on the corners of his lips. "N, that's so cool! You have to promise to teach me someday, deal?" She stuck her pinkie out at him; he looked at it, thoroughly puzzled. Gently, he grasped her little finger in his hand and gave it a tiny shake. She giggled at him and shook her head.

"You're supposed to shake on a deal, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, but we're making a pinkie promise."

"Pinkie promise?" he repeated. "I've never heard of this kind of promise before."

"Here," she said gently. "I'll show you how to do it." She grabbed his hand and formed it into a loose fist. She pulled out his pinkie and had him hold it up stiffly. "Okay, now all you do is wrap your pinkie around the other person's and you've made a pinkie promise."

He hesitantly wrapped his finger around hers, enjoying the warmth of her hand. She smiled at him and patted his shoulder. "So now what?" he asked excitedly. "What makes a pinkie promise different than other kinds of promises?"

"Nothing, I suppose," she said giggling. "It's just something you do with your friends."

He smiled, very much enjoying the idea of Touko being his friend. It was hard for to understand completely what their relationship was; she frequently referred to him as her "friend", but he knew that friends did not embrace each other the way they did. At least, he didn't think they did. He certainly felt like he was more than a friend to her, especially when she looked at him like she currently was; he felt like he was the most fascinating thing in the world to her, like he was special to her in a way that other people weren't.

He swallowed hard, unsure of how to begin. He timidly took her hands in his; he turned his body so that they were face to face, holding her in his gaze. "Touko, are we friends?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course we are," she said, brushing his long bangs out of his eyes. She let her fingers rest on his cheek a moment, making him feel light-headed as he remembered the feel of her fingers grasping at his shirt. "What a silly question," she added with a smile.

"No, you misunderstand me," he said quietly. "That's n-n-not what I meant. I mean are we…are we…" he fumbled for the words, embarrassed and suddenly aware of his nervous stutter. "A-a-are—"

"Are we 'just friends'?" she said finishing his thought. He exhaled in relief and nodded his head, glad that she understood what he meant. He felt so jumbled that it may have taken him hours to spit out the right phrase.

She smiled coyly at him. "I don't think we've ever been just friends, N," she said sweetly. "I liked you instantly, against all the warnings of my friends and even my own judgment. I find myself thinking of you constantly. I can't focus on anything for more than five minutes without you popping into my brain."

"Oh," he said simply, unable to keep the glee from his voice or the smile from his face. He loved knowing that magical look she held him in was reserved for him and him alone. He wanted to hold her down right there on the couch and feel those warm lips all over his skin. He wanted to feel her frantically pull and tug at his abominable clothing; he didn't even care if she ripped his sleeves off. He wanted to hold her in his arms and gently stroke her hair while she fell asleep. "Good," he said beaming.

She laughed at his awkwardness and leaned toward him, letting her forehead rest against his. She ruffled his hair playfully as he wrapped his arms around her, too full of happiness to even try to articulate how he felt properly. She looked out the window at the now sinking sun and felt her stomach rumble uncomfortably; suddenly, she realized that she hadn't had a proper meal in days.

"Are you as hungry as I am?" she asked. He pulled away from her and nodded emphatically. "You wanna help me make dinner?"

"In the kitchen?" he asked excitedly. "With the microwave?" His eyes flashed with the same fervor they had earlier when he had wanted to dissect her television.

"I was actually going to cook something, but I suppose we can fit the microwave in there somewhere."

"Yes, please, let's use the microwave." Before she knew it, he had pulled her to her feet and was dragging her to the kitchen. He had the microwave cornered and was staring at it was feverish intensity. "What do you cook in microwaves, anyway?" he asked, totally engrossed in unraveling its mysteries.

"Uh, basically anything," Touko answered. "But we're _only_ going to cook potatoes today," she added quickly. She could just imagine N sneaking down into the kitchen while she slept to microwave the contents of her freezer.

-

Touko had never ate so many potatoes in her life; baked, mashed, baked and then fried—but she didn't care. She was so hungry it didn't even matter to her what she ate; it also made N indescribably happy and proud to feed her food that he had cooked on his own, "Fresh from the microwave." She had never heard a cuter oxymoron in her life.

She had left him to do the dishes, a task he jumped to with enthusiasm when he learned that she had a dishwasher, while she took a shower and changed out of her ratty clothes. She took stock of them as she took them off, frowning as she realized that her well-loved tank top would have to be retired; they had been together for nearly three years. It seemed a pity to part with it now.

The water felt deliciously warm against her skin; she had forgotten how wonderful a hot shower felt. She had grown so accustomed to bathing where ever was necessary from traveling Unova that having a warm, indoor bath felt beyond luxurious to her. She let herself slide down the wall and sit in the tub while the water fell down on her like summer rain.

After some time had passed, she forced herself to go check on N. She feared that her dishwasher may be lying in pieces already. She dried her hair out quickly, enjoying the naturally forming waves, and pulled on her clean clothes. It had been a while since she had worn skinny jeans; she loved the way they hugged her body like a second skin. She slid on her long sleeved white tee, enjoying the warmth it provided her. It felt odd to be so covered up; she was so used to dressing lightly for hiking that having sleeves the reached her wrists felt claustrophobic.

She gave herself a final once over and pushed the bathroom door open. She could hear music blaring from her room and she immediately cringed. She ran to the stairs and took them two at time, rushing to her stereo's rescue. She rushed in the room; to her surprise, she saw N lying on her bed with his eyes closed, placidly tapping his fingers in time to the tempo of the upbeat song. She walked over to the stereo and turned it down slightly; he opened his eyes slowly and flashed her a warm smile.

"I like your music," he said brightly. "It's much better than what I listened to growing up. So aggressive and yet so melodic and sweet…I like it very much."

"It's called rock," she said, sighing in relief as she saw that her room was still  
>in one piece.<p>

"You look very nice," he said bashfully, sitting up on her bed. He stretched out his long limbs carefully, moving as gracefully as his clothing allowed him, and walked over to her.

She smiled and pulled the tie out of his hair, letting it spill wildly around his face. She gave it a good shake, making it stick out at odd and choppy angles. "There," she said, with a smile. "Now you are thoroughly rock'n'roll."

"If you say so," he said, smiling. "Do people dance to this kind of music?"

"Sure; you can dance to any kind of music you want."

"Can you show me how to dance to this kind of music? I've only ever danced to classical before and something tells me that a waltz just isn't appropriate for this song." She nodded in agreement. "Oh! I forgot to ask you; what's a tattoo?"

"A tattoo?" she repeated, slightly stunned by the odd question.

"The artist sings about waking up with a strange tattoo. Is that bad?"

"Yeah, that's pretty bad," she said giggling. "A tattoo is a permanent picture an artist inks on your skin with a needle."

"Oh, that does sound bad," he said candidly. "But how would you not know how you got one?"

She shook with laughter at his innocence. "Let's save that discussion for another night. You wanna dance or what, Rock Star?" she said playfully. He shook out his arms, pretending to limber up, and nodded emphatically. "Well, there's nothing to it really; just kind of move however feels right to you."

She swayed to the beat, moving her hips around smoothly. "Come on," she said, giving him a little push. "Don't be shy; it's just you and me, and I'm a terrible dancer." On the down beat, she clapped her hands, laughing wildly at her own cheesy dance moves. "You've got to be a little silly some times, N."

Hesitantly, he grabbed her hand and let her pull him with her. He moved stiffly at first, simply moving his feet. Touko rolled her eyes at him and spun around to face him. She grabbed his hands and put them on her hips. "Move like this, not like a robot," she said teasingly, as she moved her round hips deliberately and smoothly. Sensing his hesitation, she put her hands on his hips and moved them in time with hers. He blushed, embarrassed by her forwardness and his awkward movement. "Relax," she said. "You're doing fine; just let go."

He took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling her shaking her hips beneath his hands. He let his muscles loosen and he slowly let his hips move as fluidly as she did. He smiled, allowing himself to luxuriate in the free feeling such movement gave him. He let his head nodded rhythmically to the beat of the song. "Now put your hands up!" Touko shouted jovially, immensely proud of N's progress, as she put her hands in the air and moved them sporadically to the beat.

The song ended softly and Touko flashed him a bright smile. "Nice moves, N. I think you were better than me. You'll be a regular party animal in no time," she said, giggling.

The next song began to play on her stereo; it was much softer than the last had been. Touko tried to walk off their improvised dance floor, but N still held her hips in his hands. "I've always wanted to dance with someone to a song like this," he said softly. "Would you do me the honor?" he said, taking her hand in his.

She felt herself melting inside; nobody had ever asked her to dance that way before. She smiled, moving in closer to him, and let her free arm hang loosely around his neck. He placed his hand gingerly on the small of her back and pulled her close as he slowly began to turn in small circles. Touko let her head rest against his shoulder and breathed in his scent.

She sighed, loving the feeling of having him hold her so gently and yet so passionately. He lightly stroked her back, making her feel dizzy and light-headed. Unwilling to hold back her urges any longer, she pressed her lips to his neck and kissed him lightly. As the music swelled, its sweet melody filling her tiny room, N could take no more. He had thought about her the entire day and now she was in his arms, utterly and completely his. She looked into his deep green eyes, savoring the soft gentility of them, and without warning she was lifted from the ground.

Following his lead entirely, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he pushed her against the wall, her hair covering their faces like a soft veil. "N," she said breathlessly as he kissed her neck softly. She grabbed at his hair as he continued to kiss down her neck to her collar bone, enjoying his frustration with her new shirt's high neckline. His hands grasped her thighs tightly, making her sigh from his touch. She tilted his head upward and put her hand on his cheek gently, caressing it with her fingertips.

His lips crashed against hers frantically, all of his longing and yearning for her clearly evident in his hasty motions. The chaste, sweet kisses he normally gave her had been replaced by this pleading, sensual embrace. Never before in her life had Touko been kissed so passionately. His lips felt warm and full against hers, sending those now yearned for jolts of electricity through her body; as he parted her lips, she was only too happy to obey.

She let her hands rest on his chest, her fingers locked in the fabric of his hideous pink shirt. Slowly, he pulled away from her, making her groan in frustration. He smiled at her impatience, luxuriating in a feeling of confidence he had never experienced before as he drank in her flushed and euphoric face. He lifted her once again, this time carrying her to her bed. Touko's stomach felt as though it were full of Butterfrees as he carefully set her down.

She kept her hands on N's chest, stroking it imploringly. He pushed her on to her back, climbing on top of her nervously, his body now shaking from a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. She kissed his forehead tenderly and brushed his unruly hair back from his face. Again she let her hand trail up and down his chest, pleading with him silently to continue.

She would learn quickly that he needed no imploring tonight.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

"You make me do strange things," N said, his voice painted with gentle inflections. "I don't understand why you make me behave this way. The thought of another human—I mean person—touching me like you do makes me feel nervous, but when you put your hands on my body…I can't explain it."

Once again, as he stared into Touko's deep blue eyes, he was at a loss for words. He had yearned for true science—for the thrill of discovery and experimentation. And now, as she lay beneath him ready to surrender herself, he felt a desire that he could not quantize or evaluate. As he tucked her hair behind her ear, he felt as though he were moving science with his own hands.

He smiled; if he knew Boyle, he would laugh in his face for there could be no truer chemistry than the one he felt as she pressed her lips to his. No physical laws could govern it; not even the most brilliant mathematician could hope to express it. His mind was filled with biological definitions for what was happening to his body as she let a small moan slip through her lips when he pulled her hips into his; surely such cold and clinical words were meant to explain something—anything—else but this.

"I can tell you Planck's constant; I can tell you the atomic weight of antimony. I name all the arteries in your scalp—and yet, I cannot say what is in my mind," he sighed, his lips tickling her sensuously as he spoke.

She smiled warmly at him, her chest heaving heavily as she strained to catch her breath. She gave him a goofy kiss on the nose. "Would you like to know what's in my mind now?" she asked him playfully.

"Of course," he said softly.

"Well, I suppose it's something like this," she said as she grabbed his shirt by the collar and pulled his lips back to hers. As he deepened their kiss, she placed her hands on his waist and slid her hands up his shirt. She let her fingers trace the shape of his chest, enthralled by the way his skin felt on her fingertips. She gasped as she felt his warm fingers fumble with the bottom of her shirt, unsure of whether he should proceed. The prospect of seeing her creamy white skin both frightened and excited him.

"Let me help you," she said, disengaging herself from his lips. She gently placed her hands over his, making him close his shaking fingers around the soft fabric of her shirt. As she felt him tug on it, she turned her head toward the little window next to her bed, her face now a bright shade of red. She sighed as she gazed at the bright moon that now hung in the sky; N was still fumbling nervously with her shirt, but she could forgive him this awkward trespass for she was shaking too.

_The sky is beautiful tonight_, she thought dreamily. _Those two stars seem to be glowing so brightly. I don't think I've ever seen them before_. As N pressed his warm lips to her stomach, she could feel her breath catch in the back of her throat. She kept her eyes on the strange twinkling stars, unable to peel her eyes away from them from a mixture of embarrassment, pleasure and plain curiosity. _That's strange; they seem to be getting bigger—no, they're definitely getting bigger_. She jumped back, banging the back of her head against her headboard, and shrieked as two large red eyes appeared just outside her window.

"I'm s-s-sorry, Touko! What'd I do wrong?" N said, now sitting up stone straight on the foot of her bed with his hands in the air.

She shook her head, her hands now over her thudding heart. "Window," she choked out, her chest heaving up and down as she struggled to catch her breath, pointing to the brightly glowing eyes.

"Oh, look, Touko, it's a Hoothoot," N said excitedly. The little owl-like Pokémon hovered outside her window squawking impatiently; every once in a while it would tap on the glass with its beak. Touko glowered at it, now thoroughly fed-up with all the interruptions she had endured today. "He wants to come inside; he says he has a message for you."

"For me?" she repeated, slightly stunned. "I don't know anyone with a Hoothoot."

"Hoot hoo!" the Pokémon cried, irritation obvious in its voice.

"He really wants in," N said smiling. "He says it's urgent."

"Ugh, fine," she grumbled. As soon as she pulled back the sliding panel on her window, the little owl Pokémon zipped through it. It flapped about her room chaotically before finally coming to a rest on her headboard. It craned it's enormous head down and stared Touko in the eye, making strange little hooting sounds and clicking its beak every once in a while.

"Creepy," she said as the Hoothoot hopped around on her headboard, careful to never break eye contact with her. It hooted at her louder than ever, hopping and clicking its beak frantically. "I'm sorry, but I can't understand you. You want him," she said gesturing to N, who's eyes had grown several sizes larger than normal.

The Hoothoot hopped on to her lap and turned its head around to look at N. "Hello," he said softly. "You sound exhausted. Have you come from very far to see us?"

_Yes. I've come all the way from Johto. I've been flying for nearly three days straight_.

"Johto? That is far. What brings you here?"

_I was asked to deliver a message to a girl named Touko. I was told I could find her here with a man who could speak to Pokémon_.

"Are you delivering a message for your master?" N asked, unable to keep the fear rising inside of him from seeping into his voice.

_No. A traveler came to my forest in the middle of night. I was at the shrine in the woods when I felt hands grab me. Before I knew it, I was put in a cage and taken to a strange building. The man told me that if I took this package to the girl, I could go free_.

"That's horrible," N said, putting his hand gently on the owl's head. "I am sorry one of my kind has been so cruel to you. It is the fate many of you must face, I am afraid. But let us talk of something else; you say you have a package for Touko?"

_Yes, the man tied it to my leg before I flew off_.

The Pokémon extended one of its legs to Touko, who, having only understood snippets of the Hoothoot's conversation with N, was still rather confused about what was going on. The Hoothoot shook his leg at her impatiently; understanding dawning on her, she gently untied the small parcel from the Pokémon.

She hastily untied the tiny brown paper package, not sure what she would find. Inside was a white necklace box. With shaking hands, she pulled back the hinged lid, her fingers buzzing at the feel of the crushed white velvet. Lying in the middle of the otherwise empty box was a skeleton key.

It was tarnished and old, but it was clear that when it had been first made that it was extremely beautiful. The end of the key was shaped into a fleur-de-lys; inlaid into each of the three petals of the lily was a glittering, round-cut sparkling ruby. Touko was instantly reminded of Zekrom's glowing red eyes as she examined the gems, making her feel oddly exposed and uncomfortable.

Laced through the loop above the flower was a bright red satin ribbon. It was obviously a new addition, for if it were as old as the key appeared to be it would surely be in tatters. She set the box down on the bed between her and N and looked at him with curious eyes. "Why would anybody want to give this to me?" she asked, her voice shaking with fear.

"Is there a note inside the box?" he asked as he picked up the box and examined the key.

"No," she said softly. "Nothing but the key was in the box."

N ran his hand through his hair; Touko could tell this strange gift was troubling him as much as it was her. "Do you know anything about the man who sent you here? Was there anything about him that stood out to you, like scars or markings of any kind?" he asked the now quiet Hoothoot.

_No. He came up behind me when he captured me. After that, he kept me in that covered cage. But his voice…I heard his voice; that is why I know my capture is a man_.

"What did he sound like?" N pressed. He flashed his eyes to Touko quickly, hoping that she would not be able to see the dread in his eyes.

_It was so strangely sweet and gentle. The words he uttered though…_The Hoothoot hopped into N lap and pressed its head into his stomach. _I think that's what made it the most frightening. The gentle way he threatened me…it was just so bizarre. I am terrified to return to my home because I fear he will find me again_.

N wrapped his arms around the trembling Pokémon, relief washing over him. _Gentle threats…definitely not my father_, he thought. "You can stay with us; Touko and I will protect you. She is a very kind and gentle person."

_Thank you, King N. The man said you were gentle-hearted_.

N felt as if the blood had drained from his body. "He knew I was a—"

"N, look," Touko said. "There was a message written on the back of the packaging." Her hands were shaking so violently that as she read the message that the paper crinkled and crackled. Her voice cracked and shook as she read the cryptic message aloud.

_To the hero of Unova: You and your King have done well to come as far as both of you have; you've accomplished so much in your short time together with Pokémon. But know this—your journey has only just begun. You are being watched with great interest. One day soon, if you are truly the chosen heroes they say you are, you may uncover the truth of the truth.  
>-N.G.S.<br>P.S.—I suggest that Miss Touko wears my gift at all times. She may find that it comes in handy one day_.

She let the paper slip from her hands and fall to the floor. It seemed to weigh a thousand pounds by the time she had finished reading it. She let her head fall limply against her head board and hugged her pillow to her chest tightly. All traces of desire and longing had been expelled from her body the moment she read those sinister words: _You are being watched with great interest_.

Her skin crawled as she thought of some strange man watching her from the shadows. The last time someone had followed her _with interest_, she ended up battling him in castle with a dragon. Then again, he also ended up in her bed. This time, however, she doubted it would end quite so well for them.

She jumped back in fright as N placed his hand gently on hers. Her imagination had gotten the better of her once again. She sighed in relief as she saw the same uncertainty and confusion she was feeling reflected back at her in N's emerald eyes. Somehow knowing that she wasn't the only terrified person in the room put her at ease.

"Does any of that mean anything to you at all, N?" she asked, now clutching his hand in hers.

"I'm afraid not. I have no idea who this N.G.S. person is. We can't even be certain that he is from or currently in the Johto region. He may have simply stopped there to capture this Pokémon to mislead us."

She nodded in agreement. "I don't know any N.G.S.'s either. He sure seems to know a lot about us." She shuddered as she realized that she had likely been followed since she had first left home. _This person has three years' worth of knowledge about me_. She felt sick to her stomach as she replayed the faces of strangers she had met over the years; perhaps she had seen him and not realized it. Instinctively, she slammed her window shut, locked it and pulled her curtains shut.

"Yes, he does," N said softly. "Hoothoot addressed me as King N and again in the letter he refers to me as King. The only people who know what my true position in Team Plasma truly was were my Sages, The Shadow Triad, and my father…one of them must have spoken to him of them about me. I would not put it past my father to try to place blame on me now, if he thought it would absolve him of any responsibility.

"This last line here is a riddle," he said, gingerly picking up the letter from the floor. "'The truth of the truth'…but what could that mean? The truth _is_ the truth; there's nothing more to uncover once you find the true answer. He must have known this would trouble me…"

She could see the gears in N's mind turning rapidly as he spun out several of his own meanings to the cryptic words written on the paper. If she was not afraid for her life, she would have found N.G.S.'s hand writing elegant, maybe even beautiful. It looked as though the haunting words had been scrolled across the page by a master calligrapher.

Sensing that neither of them would get any rest tonight, Touko listlessly resigned herself to helping N in any way she could. She got out of her bed and stretched out her limbs, making sure to keep her eyes focused on the now sinister seeming window. As she moved to leave the room, she felt N's hand wrap around her wrist. Gracefully and fluidly, he tied the little satin ribbon around her right wrist.

"I don't want to wear that damned thing," she spat, trying to slip it off over her hand. "It makes me sick to even look at it, let alone have it hang off my arm."

"Please, Touko—wear it. If it could keep you safe, help you in some way, I would feel personally responsible if any harm came to you if I didn't do my best to make sure you wore it. Just pretend that it was a gift for me; I did put it on you."

She sighed, unable to turn him down with that dose of mega-guilt. It was a nice thought—N giving her a jewel encrusted bracelet. The little rubies sparkled up at her even in the dim light of her room. Limply, she let her wrist fall back to her side with the key securely tied around it; no amount of pretending could make it feel any less like a pretty shackle.

She grabbed Serperior's Pokeball from her bag, holding it out before her like a weapon, and descended the stairs to her living room. Once she was in the more open space of her living room, she released the large green serpent from its ball. He landed on the carpeted floor with a soft thud and slowly uncoiled its massive body, grateful for the chance to stretch out.

"I know you've been cooped up in there for too long," she said, sympathetically patting the great snake on the snout. "Things have been a little crazy lately." The Pokémon hissed as her softly, as though he were letting her know that all was forgiven. "Thank you for understanding. I really need your help tonight. Follow me, please."

She walked hesitantly to the front door, careful to avoid the now crunched glass of the picture frame that had fallen earlier, Serperior close behind her. He could sense that she was unwell and anxious, as though she were waiting for an attack. It made him hiss in anxiety and tighten his muscles in preparation to protect his girl.

She grabbed the door knob, feeling the skeleton key now tied to her wrist knock against her arm. She felt as though she were being mocked by N.G.S. now; she couldn't even lock a door without his words parading through her mind. She swallowed hard, steadying herself as she gripped the little turner on the lock.

Suddenly, the knob on the door began to turn. She jumped back, knocking into Serperior. He hissed wildly and stretch to his full height, his fangs now fully bared. Defensively, he coiled himself around Touko as she sat helpless and shaking on the floor. Even as his rough, leafy scales scratched at her, she was glad he was here to help her face whatever was about to come through her door.

"Touko!" her mother screeched as she took in the bizarre scene. "What the Hell is going on here!"

Touko had never been happier to see her mother's enraged face in her whole life. Serperior relaxed out of his defensive pose and she clumsily lumbered over to her mother. She collapsed against her, glad to be welcomed into those familiar arms.

"Oh, Mom! You're alright!" she sobbed as she threw her arms around her neck. She buried her face into her mother's neck like a child and allowed herself to shed a few tears of relief. Her wrist felt weighted down as the taunting little key clunked against her arm as she shook with her sobs.

"Hey, hey, Touko—of course I'm alright," she said gently, taken aback by her daughter's strange display of emotion. She gently petted her hair, glad to see that for the most part she alright. "What's come over you? You never cry like this."

"I was just so worried about you, Mom," she sobbed. "I couldn't live with myself if anything bad happened to you because of me."

"What did you think was going to happen to me, Touko? All I did was look for you with Professor Juniper. It's not like we went base jumping or anything. What's with all the melodrama tonight, anyway?" she asked, pulling back from her a little. She brushed back Touko's tear stained hair from her face. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Touko inhaled deeply, trying to steady her crying. Of course her mother thought she was talking about her searching for her. She couldn't let her know that it was anything else; she wanted desperately to tell her everything that had happened that night, but knew that she could not. There was no way she could put her in anymore danger than she already was in.

She quickly pasted a smile on her face. "I haven't had any good sleep in a while. My emotions get pretty screwy when I don't get enough sleep." She hoped she sounded more convincing than she felt. Her smile felt like it had been moulded out of plastic and stretched awkwardly across her face. The skin around her lips felt brittle, as though it may snap from the strain of holding her artificial smile in place.

Her mother arched her eyebrows at her suspiciously. "Too busy flying on the back of dragons?" she asked slyly.

"Yeah, something like that," Touko mumbled, remembering that her mother was still likely very angry with her. "I'm sorry I didn't call you, Mom. It was pretty selfish of me to let everyone worry like that."

"Where's your 'kidnapper', anyway? Bianca said he was at the house with you."

Touko's eyes widened in horror as she realized that Bianca had likely blabbed her brains out about N to her mother, including when he threw Cheren out of the house; she hoped for her own sake that she had left certain aspects of the afternoon out. _Why do I talk to my friends still?_ she thought bitterly. "He's in—"

"Touko!," N yelled as he tore down her stairs, Zoroark stalking behind him. "Are you alright? I heard Serperior yelling and then you crying—I would have come sooner, but Hoothoot was so terrified he wouldn't sit still and then I couldn't find Zoroark's Pokeball and—"

Touko put her hand, silencing N's nervous chattering. "I'm fine, N," she said calmly.

"But you've been crying," he said softly.

"I was just really glad to see my mom," she said, putting extra emphasis on the word 'mom.'

N's eyes snapped from Touko's puffy red eyes to the flabbergasted woman standing behind her. She looked very much like her daughter, besides the dumbstruck look on her face. She was a few inches shorter than Touko and her hair was not so long or as wavy; their eyes, however, were nearly identical. He could sense in her the same fiery, good-natured spirit that he admired so much in Touko.

"Oh, hello, it is a pleasure to meet you, ma'am. My name in N Harmonia," he said stiffly, as though he had rehearsed the same line several times in his mind. He took careful and measured steps toward her, taking great care to leave a large amount of space between them. Hesitantly, he extended his hand toward her; he wasn't sure if this was proper protocol from meeting a mother. She placed her hand in his and shook it politely, but coldly.

"Why don't we sit down?" Touko suggested, ready to be off of her flimsy legs. "I'm sure you want to interrogate me, Officer," she said jokingly to her mother.

"Oh, you have no idea," she said dryly.

Touko took a deep breath and collapsed on the couch. N sat crossed legged on the other side of the room, Zoroark never leaving his side for a minute. As her mother paced in front of her, Zoroark let out a series of low keening sounds. N's lips twitched briefly, trying to stifle a smile. She could only imagine what he was saying.

-

"So, basically, what you're say is that you want to travel the world with your friend N," her mother said.

"Yes," Touko said weakly. She had explained this so many different ways to her mother that hearing someone else say the words felt exhausting.

Her mother crossed her arms and sat down on the couch next to her. "I don't know how I feel about that, Touko," she said softly. "You're set on not staying her for a few weeks? After all, I've only just got you back."

"I can't stay here, Mom," Touko said flatly. She felt horrible telling her mother this, but if lying to her kept her safe, then she would gladly do it. She had no idea what this N.G.S. person was capable of doing, but the way Hoothoot had acted did not put her at ease.

Her mother nodded her head in understanding. She looked absolutely crushed. "How long will you be gone this time?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "Until I feel like coming back, I suppose."

"Well, Touko," she said miserably, "you're an adult now. I can't make you stay if you don't want to."

"Oh, Mom—it's not like that…" Touko sputtered. She had never felt so rotten in her whole life. She pulled her mother into a tight hug, her already blood-shot eyes spilling over again with tears.

"I know, Baby, I know," she said gently, patting Touko on the back. "It's just so hard for me to think of you as grown up. It was hard enough for me when you left last time and now you want to leave with a _boy_," she said jokingly. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Touko smiled, bittersweet tears still spilling from her eyes. She had never felt such a range of emotions in one day. Her mother pulled away from her and wiped the moisture from her cheeks, just as she had done so many times when Touko had been a child. They both sat there silently, tears spilling down their faces, as they both accepted that new chapters were beginning in their lives.

N, who had been forced to sit on the couch by Touko's mother, watched them with fascination. He had never seen a human relationship so strong as theirs before. He had always heard that the bond between a mother and her child was unbreakable; he had seen it many times with mother Pokémon. He realized now, as he sat awkwardly next to two sobbing and hugging women, what he had missed out on by not having a mother in his life.

_A mother would have given me a name_, he thought bitterly.

"Oh, Touko!" he mother cried excitedly. "Where did you get that beautiful bracelet? I love those old keys." She held Touko's wrist in her hand, turning it from side to side as she examined the gemstones in the petals of the lily.

"N gave it to me as a gift," Touko said warmly.

At that moment, she could almost believe it.


	11. Chapter 11

Touko awoke to the sun pouring across her face. She wiped away the sweat from her brow, the product of her feverish and unsettled dreams, and groaned. She wrapped herself up tightly in her blankets, soaking in their fresh and clean scent. Her bed felt so safe and secure compared to the world that existed outside of it that she contemplated, and seriously considered, never leaving it.

She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to forget her fitful dreams. She let her palm rest on her forehead and took long and deep breaths, the cold silver of the key pressed into her cheek. Her turbulent dreams had been filled with the image of its delicate figure. She tried to keep the darkness of those half-remembered nightmares from creeping back into her mind, but, even as she lie in the brilliant sun, Touko could not help but feel as though she were shrouded in shadows.

She rolled over on to her side ready to wrap her arms around N's still sleeping body, only to discover that she was alone. _Of course he's not in bed with me; I'm at home_, she reminded herself. As she thought about it, she didn't actually remember getting into her bed at all. _I must have passed out after I straightened things out with my mom_, she thought.

With a herculean amount of effort, she pulled back the covers and rolled out of bed. She brushed out her hair with her fingers and straightened her clothes, which she had apparently slept in. She gave herself one last glance in the mirror and pushed open her bedroom door, trying to convince herself that she was ready from anything that awaited her beyond it. She _was_ the hero of Unova, after all; she had defeated the Champion. What was another battle to her at this point?

The scent of bacon hit her in the face like Boldore as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She practically ran to the kitchen, her stomach gurgling in rapturous anticipation. She rushed into the cramped little room and seated herself somewhat less than gracefully at the table; it had been so long since she had ate a home-cooked meal that abandoning her decorum was all too easy.

"Good morning, Touko," N said brightly. "Would you like some coffee?" he asked as carefully placed a mug in front of her. He was wearing her mother's chili print apron, which was now covered in grease splatters and what appeared to be flour. "I made it myself," he added proudly. "Your mother has been showing me how to use your wonderful cooking machines all morning."

Her mother, who was tending to the now popping bacon, chuckled at N's curious description of their kitchen appliances. "He's made five pots of coffee today alone. It's exhausting to just watch him," she said as she divided out the bacon onto two plates. The timer on the stove rang out loudly. "Oh, that must be your muffins, N."

Touko raised her eyebrows at her mother as N rushed to take his baked goods out of the oven. Her mother smiled and shrugged, pointing discretely to an already massive pile of breakfast pastries. Touko couldn't help but smile at N's enthusiasm; in the few hours he had been in her home, he had probably baked more than she had the entire time she had lived there.

"What time is it?" Touko asked groggily as N placed a muffin from his pile in front of her.

"About two," he mother said casually. "We thought it was best to let you sleep. You looked like you needed it."

"Thanks, Mom," Touko grumbled.

Her mother rolled her eyes at her melodramatic response. "I'm surprised you didn't wake up before now. N was in and out of your room all morning checking on you."

Touko blushed furiously and stared at her muffin as though it were intensely interesting. N sat down next to her, sliding her plate in front of her skillfully. She grimaced as she saw that an egg and bacon smiley face had been laid out on her plate, complete with toast wedge hair. "Your mother told me to tell you that it is happy to see you," he said, smiling at being in on the joke.

Touko couldn't help but smile at the lame joke which was still new to N. She picked up the delightfully greasy strip of bacon and crunched into eagerly. The flavor seemed to explode like a million little Voltorbs in her mouth; surely bacon had never tasted this good before. Ravenously, she consumed the rest of her meal plus two more of N's muffins, which proved to be delicious.

"So, what time do you two plan on heading out today?" her mother asked, trying a little too hard to sound casual.

"Well," Touko said thoughtfully, "I still have to pack and N doesn't have any actual clothes to speak of…And I still have to say goodbye to Bianca and Cheren. Probably not until later in the evening, I suppose."

"You could always stay another night if you need time to get your affairs in order," she suggested. "It's never a good idea to just rush out; you never know what's waiting for you out there."

Touko shivered; her mother had no idea just how true those words were at the moment. N gently patted her hand, sensing her fear and, perhaps, sharing in it. "We should leave after nightfall," he said calmly. "If we ride Reshiram or Zekrom, discretion is a must. The harder we are to detect, the better."

"I agree," Touko said earnestly, catching on to N's second meaning.

Her mother frowned and put her hands on her hips in an annoyed sort of way. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you. You better get packing if you plan on leaving tonight, Touko."

Touko rolled her eyes at N, who smiled briefly. "Thanks for breakfast—or lunch—Mom," she said brightly. "I really missed your cooking." She stood up and stretched out her still stiff limbs. "Come on, N. Why don't you help me pack?" He nodded at her and rose to his feet, untying the borrowed apron and placing on the back of his chair.

As they climbed the stairs, Touko could hear her mother sniffle quietly. It tore her up inside to not be able to explain their situation to her mother, but she reminded herself that she was being heroic. Heroes don't cry, she told herself. She tried to imagine herself carved out of stone, impenetrable to the harrows of emotion.

"Well, what do you suggest I bring for our vacation?" Touko asked as she opened the door to her closet. It was nice to pretend that they weren't about to get thrown into another dangerous quest.

"Me?" N asked, taken aback slightly.

"Yeah; you made the itinerary. You know better than I do about what kind of terrain we'll be encountering. "

"Hmm," he said thoughtfully as he appraised her wardrobe. "You'd really be willing to let me pick everything you brought with you?"

She nodded her head, a broad smile spreading across her face. "The chili pepper apron really communicated your fashion prowess," she teased.

"Thanks," he said sarcastically. "Is there anywhere in this town where I can get some new clothes?"

"Yeah, there's this place by Professor Juniper's Lab, but it's kinda over-priced."

"Here. It's only fair that you pick out mine then," N said handing her a black credit card emblazoned with a platinum Meowth. "Make sure you get the other things on this list too," he added, handing her a neatly folded piece of paper.

"But, N," she said, flabbergasted as she read through the long list of camping equipment. "This'll cost a small fortune if I buy all this stuff here."

"Don't worry about it, Touko," he said, a devilish grin spreading across his face. "With my father indisposed, all of his assets have been transferred to me. You could even say that he is our unofficial sponsor."

Touko giggled nervously, unused to seeing N's devious side. The cocky and rebellious look on his face suited him well. She stood on her tippy-toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you in little bit, Rock Star," she said jokingly, remembering back to moments before N.G.S. had arrived in their lives. How she wished she could go back to that moment and dance, her mother's anger the worst of her worries.

Touko arrived back from her little excursion about four hours later. As she dragged the heavy bags back into her house she vowed to never enter another outdoor supplies store in her life. She was an experienced camper, probably far more experienced than any of the salespeople, and yet every salesman treated her like some brainless moron. She tried to attribute this to her well-known relationship with Bianca, but she highly doubted it; it was far more likely, in her opinion, that it had something to do with her over-all feminine appearance. If only they had seen her yesterday.

She dropped the heavily laden bags at the foot of the stairs and seated herself on the last step. She rifled through them hastily until she found the new travel bag N had requested that she buy for him. She pulled the price tag off, almost choking as she read the exorbitant price he had paid for it. Carefully, she placed most of the new camping equipment inside, followed by his clothes.

As she zippered the bag shut, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of excitement wash over her. The thought of traveling with N made her as giddy as a school girl, despite the storm that seemed to be waiting for them the moment they stepped foot out the door. He made her reckless to the point of single-mindedness, something that no one else had ever been able to do. She was only a heroine when he was standing there beside her; when she thought about it, she realized that's how it had always been.

She slung the now extremely heavy bag over her shoulder and lumbered up the stairs. The door to her room was open and inside she could see N talking with Hoothoot and Zoroark. N held out a pink dress in front of him. "This one?" he asked. Hoothoot clicked his beak unenthusiastically and Zoroark made a few low keening sounds. Zoroark bumped his snout against a black dress that was lying on her bed. "Ah, I agree. That one will be much more appropriate for the beach."

She watched N fold it with surgical like precision before he tucked it away in her pink satchel. "I'm nervous about this whole undertaking, Zoroark," he said woefully, letting himself fall back on to Touko's bed. The fox-like Pokémon keened softly and awkwardly climbed on to the bed next to him. "I know, I know…but it's not that that troubles me. You and I are both survivors," he said, ruffling Zoroark's long mane.

He pulled his hat down over his face, hiding his expression and muffling his voice slightly. Zoroark laid his head on N's chest and made strange little hissing sounds. "Yes, I think I am," N said quietly. "I know I want to, and yet…" Zoroark cooed in a knowing-sort of way. "I know; it makes me feel so foolish. I'm twenty-two years old and I've lived through more than most people do in a lifetime, and yet this one, stupid thing terrifies me more than I have words to express."

Touko knocked on the side of the door frame, slouching forward slightly under the weight of the bag. N pulled his hat off his face and sat up, grinning widely at Touko as she waved hello to him. Zoroark crept closer to her, smelling her all over in an appraising sort of way. He cocked his head back at N and made a low grumble before walking back to his partner.

N blushed brightly and frowned at the Pokémon. "Shut up…" he said quietly, sounding rather humiliated.

"N, sorry to interrupt, but do you think you could take this from me?" Touko pleaded as she struggled under the weight of the bag.

"Oh! Sorry," N said, rushing to her and lifting the bag as though it were made of marshmallows. "Were you able to find everything on the list?" She nodded her head. "Good; I was afraid that in a town this small we'd be somewhat limited.

"I guess I should bathe and change out of these absurd clothes. I'm rather tired of feeling like a fool." He held out two ultra balls and Zoroark and Hoothoot both returned to them. He walked to the doorway, stopping at the threshold. "I-I-I left certain items of clothing for you to pack for yourself."

Before she could say anything, he was out the door and down the stairs. She smiled to herself, already knowing which 'items' he had neglected to pack. She had already them packed in the interior pocket of her bag. Only N wouldn't have thought to snoop in there.

She closed the door and quickly changed into a pink tank top and black cardigan. She brushed out her hair properly, turning her loose curls into waves, and gently tousled it. She sat down at her vanity and put on her make-up, an activity she rarely indulged in during her travels. She thought about what she would say to Bianca and Cheren. Her mother had already invited them over for her 'farewell dinner,' the thought of which made her groan. She hated goodbyes—this one especially.

The three of them had done everything together. From the time they were in school to the time they left home, they had been by each other's sides. It felt so wrong to be leaving Nuvema Town without them, like she was missing a part of herself. She wiped away the tears from her eyes as that gravity of her decision sunk in. Everyone she had built her life around would soon be miles away. She was going to be without the safety net of her friends and her mother for the first time in her life.

Her door opened, startling her nearly to death as she half expected N.G.S. to be standing on the other side. Much to her relief, it was her mother. "You look so beautiful, Touko," she said warmly, sitting on Touko's bed.

"Thanks, Mom," she said as she brushed her bangs out of her face.

Her mother leaned back against the headboard. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, sighing lightly. "So, what's with your friend? He sat on the couch for an hour today watching the television."

"Most people do that every day," Touko replied.

"Yes, that's true, but normally the television is on."

"Did he try to convince you to let him take it apart?" Touko asked, giggling as she thought of N staring at it hungrily.

"No, but he did explain to me how everything inside of it work. Just like he did with the toaster, the coffee pot, the refrigerator, and the microwave. Was his family really poor or something? He said he had only read about some of our 'machines' before."

"His father is a bit of a…minimalist," Touko lied. When she remembered the opulence of N's castle, the word minimalist was hardly what came to mind.

"Ah," she said quietly. "That explains a lot."

"I'm sorry about this morning; he was just a little over enthusiastic."

"It was actually pretty fun. He's like an overgrown little kid."

Touko laughed. "That's pretty accurate description of him, actually."

"He's quite attached to you, Touko. He fretted over you all morning."

Touko could feel a blush rising in her cheeks beneath her cover-up. "Oh, really?" she mumbled, pretending to put on her eye shadow.

"Really," her mother said, rising to her feet. She stood behind Touko and idly  
>played with her long hair. "And, word on the street is, you are too. Don't lie—I can see it when you look at him."<p>

At least she knew one thing she would say to Bianca. "Yeah, I like him," she grumbled begrudgingly.

"Well, I'm happy for you then, Touko. You only have one first love, so enjoy it. But promise me that you won't make any stupid mistakes. I'm too young to be a grandmother."

"Mom," Touko sputtered, taken aback by her forwardness. "It's not—"

"Mm-hmm," he mother said, winking at her. "Well, I better get dinner finished up. Bianca and Cheren will be over in a few minutes."

Touko was left speechless as her mother departed. Her face, despite the fine layer of make-up, was as red as a boiled Krabby. She wanted to crawl back in her bed and sleep through her dinner, waking only when it was time to leave.

As she tapped her temple idly with a tube of unopened lipstick, a quiet voice said, "You look like a princess."

She looked up to see N standing in the threshold of her doorway. He was wearing medium colored jeans and a long sleeved grey crew shirt. Simple as always, but he looked amazing to her never the less. She smiled dreamily up at him, enjoying the way the shirt fit across his chest and arms. She had never noticed how well-defined the muscles in his upper body were.

"Thanks," she said bashfully. "You look nice too, N."

"I believe your guests have arrived. You mother told me to come get you."

Touko stood up with all the enthusiasm of an inmate walking to the executioner. She threw her arms around N's waist and hugged him to her tightly. "I don't know how much more stress I can take today," she said feebly.

"I know," N said softly. He stroked her hair lightly and pressed his lips to her forehead. "It's been difficult for me as well. I was worried about you the entire time you were gone today. I wanted to send Zoroark with you as a guard but I didn't want your mother to get suspicious.

"Come on, Touko," he gently. "Everyone is waiting for you."

"Yeah," she sighed miserably, as she pulled away from him. "Let's just get this over with."

Dinner was mercifully uneventful. Cheren had apologized to both Touko and N profusely, dissolving to tears when Touko hugged him. Bianca had been either oblivious to or had ignored Touko's little jabs all night long. When it was time for them to go, it was as if nothing had ever happened between them. In a way, Touko wished that she could still be annoyed with both of them; it would make saying goodbye that much easier.

"Well," Touko said after some time had passed, "I think it's about time."

N handed Touko her bag and slung his across his body. "Would you care to see us off?" he asked Touko's mother and friends. "We would like it if you were there to send us off."

"Okay!" Bianca chimed. Cheren sighed at her goofy behavior. "I mean, um, sure. We'd be happy to. Right, Cheren?"

"Yes," he said flatly. "I would like to see Zekrom again."

Together, the five of them walked to the beginning of Route 1. Nostalgia washed over Touko as she remembered the last time she, Bianca and Cheren had walked Route 1 together. She put her arms across both their shoulders and smiled, just as she had done that day now nearly three years ago. They both laughed at her sentimentality, but all three enjoyed remembering back to that simple time in their lives.

Once they reached a clearing that was large enough, she untangled herself from her friends and stepped forward next to N. She pulled the little purple and white master ball from one of her cardigan's pockets. She enlarged it and pressed the small white button in center, releasing Zekrom. In the veil of darkness, he was all but invisible except for his eyes. They glistened like the bright red rubies of the key tied round her wrist.

"Hello, Zekrom," she said calmly. "How is your leg doing?"

_Much better; thank you for healing me so well._

Everyone, except N and Touko, shuddered as they heard Zekrom's deep and booming voice echo through their heads. "Glad to hear it," she said brightly as she walked over to the great black dragon. She patted his flank gently, the great armored plates of his skin rubbing her palm roughly. "N and I would like to fly with you tonight. Is that alright?"

_Yes, master. You may fly with me whenever you so desire._

"Thank, Zekrom," she said gently. "We appreciate it very much. We have far to go tonight."

She turned towards her friends and her mother. They were both staring at her with wide eyes. She forgot that none of them had seen her interact much with Pokémon outside of battles; they were also probably still reeling from hearing a voice inside their minds.

"Well, guys, I guess this is goodbye for now."

Bianca rushed forward and threw her arms around Touko, tears already pouring from her eyes. "You'll w-w-write to me every week, won't you?" she sniffled.

"Of course I will, Bianca. You know, I have a cell phone too. You can just call me."

"Oh, yeah…oops," she said lightly. She released Touko from her grip and turned to N. "It was nice meeting you, N. I hope that someday we can get to know each other better."

"I would like that very much, Bianca. Please tell you father thank you for allowing me to borrow his fancy golf clothes."

As Bianca made eyes at the baffled N, Cheren grabbed Touko's hands in his. "I'm going to miss you, Touko. You can't ever stay in one place for too long, can you? Always off on some adventure." She smiled at him warmly, glad to see that he had accepted that she was going to leave whether he liked it or not. "Well, I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for out there."

"Thank you, Cheren," she said, kissing his hands lightly. He turned a bright shade of pink before letting his hands fall placidly to his sides.

"You could be a bit more pathetic, Bianca," he sneered, watching her bat her eyes at the now befuddled N. "Leave the poor man alone. He's not interested," he said hooking his arm through hers. "I wish you well in your travels, N, and please take care of her. She means the world to us," he added coolly before he towed Bianca back a bit. N nodded his head at Cheren politely, but said nothing else to him.

"Mom," Touko whimpered as she wrapped her arms around her. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"Me too, Touko. Just take care of yourself, okay?" she said brightly, fighting back the tears in her eyes. "Be safe."

"Okay, I promise," Touko sniffled, a slight pink color rising in her cheeks as she caught the second meaning of her mother's words.

"It's time to go now," she said, patting her shaking daughter on the back. "The world's waiting for you."

Touko nodded and walked over to N, who wiped the tears from the apples of her cheeks tenderly. Zekrom kneeled down slightly, allowing for her and N to climb on to its back easily. N wrapped his arms around her tightly and held her securely against him. He felt like her personal anchor, keeping her solid in the storm. Tears were still spilling from her eyes as she heard N say, "Let's go, Zekrom. You know where to take us."

She could hear the great generator in Zekrom's tail buzz to life. The soft whir soon grew to a deep rumble and the dragon was lifted off from the ground vertically, which she found much more enjoyable than Reshiram's take-off. She craned her head over the side of the great dragon and saw her friends and mother waving at them.

"See you later!" she called, waving at them frantically.

With that final farewell, Zekrom jolted forward and up into the night sky. She felt her stomach roll and lurch uncomfortably as they ascended above the clouds, her loved ones disappearing from sight. The moon was brilliant and full, making Zekrom's scales glitter and gleam like polished glass. As N pulled her onto his lap, she wrapped her arms around his neck. She buried her head in his neck, tears leaking from her eyes like sieves, all hints of her heroism now completely gone.

"Don't hide your tears, Touko. You don't have to keep everything inside to be brave," N said gently, as though he had read her thoughts. "Everyone gets scared sometimes, even great heroes of legend."

She swallowed hard, her sorrow eased by his kind words, and gazed out at the ever approaching horizon. The key, which she had tucked inside the sleeve of her cardigan, was pressed against her arm making it feel warm—almost as though it were a living object. Though it filled her with dread and anxiety, Touko was not afraid; cradled in N arms, she felt like she was ready for whatever awaited her out there.


	12. Chapter 12

"Touko," N said gently as he shook the sleeping girl. "Touko, wake up. We've landed."

Touko blinked her weary eyes into focus, her mind still heavy with the fog of sleep. "Mmm," she groaned. "Where are we?"

"Mossdeep City in the Hoenn Region," N said wearily. He didn't care where he was currently; unlike Touko, whom he had held on his lap the whole night while she slept, N was still running on the few hours of fitful rest he had obtained on her couch. He could feel his eyes burning with sleep as he helped her down from Zekrom's back.

"The air is so clear here," Touko said, yawning as she stretched out her arms. "It's beautiful." N nodded his head weakly, barely processing what she said. "Oh, N! You look like a zombie. Why didn't you sleep on the flight over? You could have woken me up," Touko fussed.

"I'm fine. You needed to rest; you've had a very stressful couple of days. Besides," he added slyly, "you are beautiful when you sleep."

She smiled bashfully, hiding behind her bangs. "Why don't we see if there's an inn in town? You and the Pokémon can rest up while I go exploring!" she said, practically buzzing with excitement.

"Do you really think that's such a good idea?" he asked. "I mean, I don't think either of us should really be out on our own, given the circumstances we find ourselves here under."

She kicked at the sandy ground irately. "I refuse to live my life in fear because some jackass mailed me key," she growled through clenched teeth, her hands balled into fists. "This is my first time out of Unova; I'm not going to waste my time here, with you, cooped up in a room."

N sighed, placing a hand on the brim of his hat. "You are so stubborn sometimes, Touko," he said exasperatedly. "I know I'm not going to be able to change your mind about this, but please promise that you'll take along one of your Pokémon for protection."

"Okay, okay," she conceded. "But only because you look so miserable right now," she said as she straightened his windblown clothing.

"If that is what it takes to change your mind then I may never sleep again," he mumbled darkly.

Touko rolled her eyes at him as she fed the travel weary Zekrom some Aprijuice she had bought in Nuvema Town. She patted the great black dragon on the side a few times before returning him to his ball. Playfully, she spread out her arms and soaked in the sun. She closed her eyes as the gentle sea air blew past her.

"This is paradise," she sighed, letting her arms drop to her sides. "I'd love to visit here in the summer time."

N came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Then it is decided; we must come back." She turned in his arms and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. She took his hand in hers, ready to explore this new region.

Touko practically skipped into town, dragging N behind her like a weary anchor. Mossdeep was truly a beautiful city. It was situated on high sea cliffs, offering protection from surges during storms. The city was filled with many wild and exotic flowers that neither had seen in person before; amazingly, N was still able to rattle off their scientific names and what climate they best grew in. The city itself was on the small side; well, most cities were small compared to the vast and sprawling metropolitan areas in Unova. It was peppered with a few little homes, all constructed in a charming cottage style that Touko instantly liked.

After a short walk up a winding sandy path, N and Touko found themselves in the heart of the city, surrounded on all sides by shops, restaurants, and other tourism establishments. Nestled in the center of it all was a rather pastoral looking little sea cottage that had been converted to an inn. The light blue paint on the trim of the white building was peeling, giving it an authentic and rustic look. Touko had been fond of the other buildings in Mossdeep, but this one she was in love with.

"It's wonderful," she squealed as N pulled the door open for her.

"It is…quaint," he said thoughtfully as he took in the decidedly cheesy decorations. Everywhere he looked there was some sort of adorable Wailord decorative item—Wailord flower vases, Wailord candy dishes, a knitted Wailord blanket draped over the back of an old-timey rocking chair—even the service bell was painted to look like a Wailord. Mildly repulsed by the cuteness of it, N hesitantly rang the bell, which, to his chagrin, let out a strange keening sound akin to a Wailord's cry.

A middle-aged woman, as wide as she was tall, appeared from the back of the hotel, a broad smile plastered on her face. "Hello!" she said a little too enthusiastically. "Welcome to the Wily Wailord, the finest bed and breakfast in all of Hoenn. Are you two looking for a room?"

Before N could object, Touko answered for him. "We'd love one!" she chimed. "Your hotel is so delightful; I can't imagine staying anywhere else!"

"Why, thank you dear!" she beamed. "Are you two lovebirds here on for a romantic getaway?" she inquired, winking saucily at N.

"We—" he started before Touko cut him off.

"Yes, we are! We both took some time off to do some traveling."

N listened to Touko gab tirelessly on about how they were visiting from Kanto. He had not found the lie so entertaining until the woman had asked from what town in Kanto they were from. Touko tripped over her words awkwardly as she searched for the name of any city in Kanto. She elbowed N discretely, her eyes full of panic.

"We are from Cerulean City. Perhaps you have heard of it before?" N said, still smirking at Touko's clumsy lie.

"I'm afraid I haven't. I don't get outside of Hoenn much," the desk attendant responded sadly.

"Well, if you ever get the chance, you must stop in. The gym leader there specializes in water-type Pokémon. I'm sure she would love to talk with a fellow water-type enthusiast."

"I just may have to go now," she said, properly and thoroughly charmed. Touko grimaced on the inside as she realized that she had mistaken N's smirk to be a playful, alluring smile. If she was being perfectly honest with herself, she too found it appealing, despite her embarrassment. What she did not find appealing, however, was that fact that the older woman was currently batting her eyes at him like a school girl. N's face changed from amused to perplexed as she amped up her flirting to the next level, now twining her fingers in her hair.

"So, do you have a room available for me and _my_ boyfriend?" Touko asked. The desk attendant gave her a sour look and flipped open the guest registry. N wasn't sure what was going on between the two women, but he thought it best to just let it go. He had seen firsthand what could happen when two dominant female Pokemon battled over turf.

"We have three rooms available for the night," she said, sounding slightly deflated. "Which one would you like?"

"As long as it has a bed, I'm sure it'll be fine," N answered flatly.

"Oh, I see," she said, bouncing her eyebrows at him. "This way please," she said cheerfully, ushering them down a little hallway. In keeping with the theme of the hotel, the walls were lined with pictures of both Wailords and Wailmers doing all sorts of cute things, like having tea parties and dancing.

"You two will be in the Marill Room tonight," she brightly. She handed N the key to the room, which had a bright blue dancing Marill painted on the door. "Dinner is served at 6 sharp in the dining room. If you two need anything else before then, just ring the bell!"

By the time she handed him the key, N was ready to snatch it out of her hands. He opened the door to their little room and was immensely relived to see that it was not so busily decorated as the rest of the inn; however, everything was Marill themed. N was too tired to be bothered by the tackiness of his surrounding, collapsing face first into the massive blue bed with an exhausted sigh.

"This bed is so comfortable," he groaned as he snuggled up to one of the plump round pillows. "Are you sure you don't want to join me?" he said, rubbing the bed with his hand.

Touko laughed and sat down next to him on the bed and stroked his head lightly. "As inviting as that sounds, no. I'm dying to check out some of the shops I saw on our way in. I think I'm gonna take a shower first though; flying really messes up my hair," she whined.

"Alright," he sighed. "Wear the first thing in your bag; I've packed all of your clothes in order of the places we're visiting for ease and efficiency."

"Wow," she responded as she rose to her feet. She grabbed her bag from off the floor and carried it to the bathroom. "See you in a bit," she called as she closed the bathroom door.

"Touko," N shouted. "Since when are we from Kanto?"

"Oh," she said, popping her head out the door. "I thought it would be best to not say where we were actually from. You know, in case…someone stopped in to see if two young people from Unova were staying here."

"That is a good idea…" he said thoughtfully. "What names did you sign the ledger with?"

"Charlotte Haze and Russell Canopy," she said, smiling at the absurd names as she closed the door.

N repeated his fake name back to himself a few times as he lied in bed. He could hear Touko giggling about something over the sound of the now rushing shower. Even in this sleep deprived state he wished that he had the courage to kick open the door and take her in his arms. As his eyelids blinked open and shut, his mind was filled not with visions of the strange man that so often was the focus of his thoughts; instead, he drifted to that quiet moment that seemed so long ago when she had washed his hair in the pond.

The sun had glittered off her wet skin like diamonds making her all the more brilliant in his eyes. The sweet smell of her shampoo hung on her heavily still, making his head swim as he drank in that intoxicating scent. She had touched him so gently then it was almost painful; he had wanted so badly to have her skin against his that to have anything less was agonizing.

And then he had kissed her. It was the first kiss he had given to anyone. Well, he used to kiss Concordia and Anthea when he was a child, but he understood the difference between those kisses and this kiss. The feeling of her plump and full lips against his was rapturous; even thinking about it stole his breath away. All his worries and torments—his father, Team Plasma, Ghetsis' failed revolution—none of them mattered from that moment on. With her by his side, the world was no longer black and white; everything was seeped in color now.

Now someone threatened to take all that away from him. The very thought of not having Touko in his life, of returning back to his castle, made him feel ill in both body and mind. He had yet to decide what he would do to N.G.S. if he ever had the opportunity to meet him face to face, but he had decide one thing: it would not be a meeting either would forget. He hated that he delighted in the thought of causing this man pain and yet he still felt it with every ounce of himself. His father had sought to instill narrow mindedness in him since he was a child; if ever there was a time to employ the traits that this brought with it, it was now.

He could feel warm arms snake their way around him, making his eyes flutter open. "Wake up, N; it's nearly midnight," Touko whispered gently as she kissed his neck passionately.

"You aren't getting in just now, are you?" he asked wearily.

"No, of course not. I didn't want to wake you," she said as she slid her hands down his stomach, her fingers playing with his belt buckle idly.

"You've just been sitting there watching me the whole night?" he asked.

"Don't be silly; I did other things too. Though, I must say, that only made it the whole experience that much more excruciating; the only books the desk matron had were cheap romance novels that had lengthy passages about abdominal muscles."

"Oh," he said, blushing at her graphic answer.

"I feel like I've been reading recipes in a house with no food," she said as she finally undid the buckle on his belt. She grabbed his hips and rolled him around so that they were face to face with each other. Her hair was wild and wavy from the sea air, framing her face perfectly; she was all smiles as he pushed down the straps of her dress. He gripped her shoulders, his nails digging into her skin slightly, as she unbuttoned his jeans; the sound of his zipper coming down was like a symphony to his ears.

"Oh, N," she whispered in his ear. "Please…wake up."

His eyes snapped open, the Marill filled room popping into rough focus. Touko stood over him, beaming down a bright smile to him. She was wearing a wide rimmed sun hat and dark, fashionable sunglasses. The black beach dress Zoroark had helped him pick out look amazing on her, hugging her delicate curves life a glove before flaring out into a flouncy skirt. He immediately regretted his decision to pack it as he took her in, feeling immensely weak.

"Am I really awake now?" he asked.

"Yeah, you're awake now. Having some pretty intense dreams, huh? I hate those."

"I didn't mind this one," he said glumly. "How was your expedition?"

"Oh, N, it was wonderful. Swoobat and I had the best time. Everyone was so nice to us," she said dreamily. "Oh! I have to take you to this one place tonight. You're going to love it!"

He smiled at her excited babbling. "I'm glad you had a pleasant time in town. What time is it?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Touko settled down on the bed next to him, her head leaned back against the head board and her legs stretched in front of her.

"It's just a little after seven. I stopped at this little diner and got you some dinner since we both missed the one served here."

"Thank you, Touko," he said as she handed him a little Styrofoam box. He popped open the tab, the smell of fresh French fries filling his lungs like a hug from a good friend. His heart gave his stomach a high five as he consumed the crunchy, greasy potatoes. "I guess I didn't realize how hungry I was," he said bashfully as Touko stared at him in disbelief over how quickly he had devoured his meal. "So, what would you like to do now?"

"Let's go out! I think you're really going to like this town," she bubbled.

N stood up and stretched out; he still felt tired, but he was as eager as she was to go out and see the island. This was his first time in the Hoenn region as an adult and he was ready to go out exploring. He slipped on a light jacket from his bag and help Touko to her feet. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door; he practically had to jog to keep up with her excited pace.

The sky was painted in beautiful and exotic shades of orange and purple as the sun sank behind the sea. The stark contrast of the teal colored waters against the fiery sky gave the illusion of two worlds colliding. N was fascinated by the hues and shades that nature was displaying for them, even if he knew all the reasoning behind why they were there. It was difficult for him to think of them as simple photon waves when they could create such a lovely sight.

Touko pulled him through a dozen little shops, pointing out all the knickknacks she found amusing or cute. Whenever he offered to buy her something, she would just smile and direct him to the next thing she found interesting. Even though she desperately wanted to accept his offers, she knew that she could not. They would only serve to slow them down in the long run.

"Alright, one last place and then we can head back to the room," she said sympathetically as she looked at the dark circles forming beneath N's eyes. "I saved the best for last."

She led him toward a large hill on the outskirts of town. In the distance he could see several oddly arrange flood lights and some sort of a large tower like structure. As they continued to climb the winding path up the hill N's eye lit up as he saw the outline of a rocket pop into focus. He had read extensively about the space program in Hoenn over the past few years. He would often dream of what it would feel like to leave look down on the planet from the heavens, of how serene and perfect it would look from a distance.

"This is wonderful, Touko. I've wanted to see this place for years," he said quietly.  
>"It's like being in one of my dreams."<p>

"I knew you would like it," she said sweetly. "I talked the director into giving you an after-hours tour. Oh, look, there he is now," she said, waving to a small bald man standing outside the entrance to the complex. "He's probably tired of waiting for us."

"Are you serious?" N asked incredulously. Touko nodded her head, a broad smile spreading across her face as saw how delighted N looked. "You are amazing!"

He was all smiles as he greeted the stout director. Touko could barely keep up with their conversation, catching foreign phrases like ion jets and panspermia. What she did understand, however, was the look of child-like joy in N's eyes. She wished that she could fix it there permanently so that she would never have to see that dark cloud that so often hung over him ever again.

-

By the time N had let the director go, it was nearly eleven o'clock. They walked back to the inn hand in hand, N chattering to her wildly about the possible colonization of new planets and if they would have Pokemon on them too. She had to remind him several times to slow down, his words becoming an incomprehensible blur the more excited he became.

As they approached the main street several people rushed passed them, all bearing the same terrified and disgusted look on their faces. "Get the nurse, quickly!" a man shouted as he ran past them. "It'll die if it doesn't get treatment soon!"

Touko could feel her heart thud as N's grip on her hand tightened. He quickened their pace, now practically jogging toward the little crowd of people outside the Wily Wailord. Several of the town's people were rushing to the Pokemon Center drenched in blood, their faces just as terrified as those of the people they had passed earlier. A heartbreaking wail pierced their ears as they came upon the horrific scene.

"He's going to die, I just know it!" the desk matron screamed as she clutched her beloved Seel to her body. He cried weakly in her arms, his remaining fur now sickening shades of pink and red.

"Don't worry, Maxine. I'm sure the nurse will be able to fix him up. You'll see…" one of the town's people said reassuringly.

N and Touko pushed their way through the crowd and, as they saw the mangled and carved body of the Seel, immediately wished they hadn't. The Seel had been shaved on one side, exposing its dark, shiny skin. Several large and freely bleeding lacerations broke its smooth continuity.

"Coming through!" a woman yelled, pushing several slow reacting people out of the way. Following closely behind her were several other nurses, both male and female, carrying a large and hefty looking stretcher. Her eyes grew wide as she took in the strange and grotesque injuries that had been inflicted upon the Seel. "Get him to the center now," she said firmly.

The nurses carefully heaved the little Pokemon on to the stretched and carried it off into the darkness, the desk matron puffing along as quickly as she could behind them. N turned to Touko, his eyes swimming with tears. "We have to go with them—this is all our fault," he said quietly.

"What do you mean?" she said, her voice shaking as she looked at the puddle of blood that stood just outside the door of the inn.

"It's him, Touko. He did it—he's sending us another message," he said through clenched teeth. "He didn't think we were taking him seriously enough; he wanted to get my attention."

N turned on the spot, his hand still clamped tightly around Touko's, and ran off to the Pokémon center. As Touko ran along beside him, her flip flops catching on the ground awkwardly, she could hear his heart beating. She had, on many occasions, seen N worked up or disturbed by something someone had done to a Pokemon; but this time seemed different, in some fundamental way. It was almost as if his attitude had shifted from that of caring sympathizer to something far more sinister.

As they burst through the doors of the Pokemon Center, they could hear several people yelling out for medications and the blood curdling cries of the Seel's owner, the desk matron Maxine. "Sir, you can't go back there," an exhausted desk attendant said as N charged behind the operating curtain. "Sir, I'm sorry bu—"

"I have vital information pertaining to the welfare of that Seel. If you care anything about him, you'll let me through," he said, his eyes practically burning holes through the frightened attendant. She stood back, allowing them passage without another word.

"That was a little harsh, N," Touko whispered as they entered the operating area.

"It was necessary," he said coldly.

"Who let you two back here?" the head nurse yelled as she saw them standing in the corner. "You're going to contaminate the room!"

"Nurse! Look—there's something carved into his side!"

The nurse gave the Seel a shot of pain medication, making its eyes glaze over in a relaxed, dull looking way, and came round the side where the large cuts were. The wounds had ceased bleeding, but had swollen considerably and were beginning to scab. As the dried blood was washed away with saline, the mangled and carved body of the Pokemon revealed neatly scrolled words.

"'I'm holding the keys to a kingdom'?" the nurse repeated. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Take a picture of this for the police and then bandage him up. We'll need to get some x-rays," she ordered.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Touko said. Her eyes were fixed on the broken and purpling flesh of the Seel, who was now quiet and still from his medication. She could feel her stomach roll and twist into knots as she imagined what had been used to commit such a heinous crime. She gripped N's arm as she felt her knees buckling, her head buzzing with incomprehensible hatred and repulsion.

"Why don't you go get some air? I'm sure that his owner would like to know that he isn't in any pain," N said gently.

Touko nodded her head and very carefully made her way back to the waiting room. As she exited the operating room, she could hear the head nurse conversing with the others in hushed voices. "Look at the cleanliness of these cuts…it must've taken whoever did this hours to finish. They were clearly skilled with a—" She slammed the door shut, her whole body shaking at the thought of N.G.S. painstakingly carving this message into the Seel for _hours_.

She couldn't bear to look the still weeping Maxine in the eye; she knew that she was responsible for what had happened to her beloved Pokemon. As quietly as she could, Touko slid out the front door and collapsed on the ground outside. Her eyes stung with tears as she stared up at the night sky. _My life has become such a mess lately_, she thought miserably. _A week ago, I was on top of the world. I was getting ready to battle the Elite Four and now what? Someone may die because of me and N's foolish behavior_.

"Hello, Miss Touko," a cool, masculine voice whispered in her ear. "Did you enjoy my gift?" Before she had time to react, a cold, wet hand closed around her neck. "Judging by those pathetic tears," he said gently, his lips brushing against her cheek, "I guess not."


	13. Chapter 13

"Ah ah ah," he chided as he felt her inhale. "No screaming. I'd hate to have to do anything to that pretty face."

He dug his elbow into the small of her back, making her arch forward uncomfortably. Touko's hands scrambled across the ground, dirt lodging painfully deep under her fingernails, searching for anything to fight off her assailant. She had dropped her purse, which currently contained all of her Pokémon, on the way out of the center in her stupor, leaving her completely unguarded.

"On your feet," he commanded, jerking her up roughly by the neck. She stumbled forward awkwardly, tripping on her now severely bent flip-flops. With his free hand, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back against his body, pinning her arms against his waist; he ground his hips against her hands suggestively, making her feel sick to her stomach.

"My, my," he whispered, letting his fingers stroke her jawline; they slid easily across her now tear drenched skin, "I can see why he's so taken with you. So young and _innocent_...and he just let you go off on your own. How foolish of him."

Touko's skinned crawled as she felt his lips touch her ears while he spewed out these sickening words. While keeping his hand tightly clamped across her wind pipe, his fingers digging into her soft skin painfully, he continued to slide his other hand down her body. He stopped above the hem of her dress, gently petting the delicate skin of her thigh as he smelled her hair.

"It's a shame I'm not allowed to touch you, really. It would be so much fun breaking you in…watching that sweet little face crumple up in pain as I cut into you over and over again—it makes me excited just thinking about it," he said gently.

"Go to Hell, you sick bastard," Touko growled, kicking him as hard as she could in the ankle. His knees buckled slightly, but his grip on her remained tight; he made sure to never lose contact with her body, delighting in the feeling of her shaking against him.

"And you're feisty too," he sighed gently. "Be still my heart."

Harshly, he yanked her head to the side, her face pointed toward the window of the Pokémon Center. As he licked from her shoulder up to her jawline, she could see N talking with Maxine. She could scream out for him now; maybe he'd see her before this man could do anything else to her. Hoothoot had been right to fear him; the bizarre tranquility of his voice coupled with his unnaturally calm demeanor made it seem as though he had done this every day of his life.

"Say my name," he whispered against her neck. "Say it like I'm hurting you."

"I don't know it, moron," she spat, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. If she could get her arms free, she could wave them in the air and maybe get N's attention; or, better yet, she could run.

"My name is Blayre," he groaned as he rubbed himself against her hands with renewed vigor.

She continued to gaze into the center, watching N's desperately. Her heart was beating out of control as her mind raced through all the possible things she was about to endure at the twisted hands of Blayre.

"Blayre…Last time I checked, that doesn't start with an N," she said, taking extra care to say the letter N louder than the rest of the sentence.

"Nothing gets by you, Doll." She could feel his chest shaking against her back as he laughed. "Expecting someone else? Sorry to disappoint you, but my employer is far too busy to be bothered with trifling matters such as this. Oh, no—he's working on something much bigger."

"Kidnapping me is a trifling matter?" she hissed as she continued to struggle against him.

"I'm not here for _you_," he said, this time openly laughing at her. "I'm just a delivery boy. Having some time alone with you is just a little bonus I stumbled into. If only I was allowed to cut you just a little," he sighed. "But I suppose a few stolen hours with you will have to do for now."

He began to nibble on her neck lightly, keeping her head positioned as it was before. As she felt his teeth pull at her skin, she could see N struggling awkwardly to break free of a suffocating hug thrust upon him by Maxine. Tears spilled down her face as she watched him, struggling in vain to escape the clutches of this man. N was so close to her and yet he may as well be on the other side of the world. She didn't dare call out for him, terrified of what would happen to either of them if she invoked Blayre's wrath.

N escaped Maxine's massive, gelatinous arms and looked around the Center, his eyes roving the room for Touko. She could see panic flash in his eyes as he realized that she wasn't there. _Please, see my purse. Please, see __**me**_, she thought miserably as Blayre bit at her shoulder, his teeth digging into her painfully deep. She could feel herself being pulled slowly backward, away from the building and into the darkness.

She could see him bending down to pick up her purse, a look of dread plastered across his face. He turned from side to side, yelling out words she couldn't hear. An attendant rushed to his side, a confused and troubled look on his face as he attempted to calm N. When the flustered attendant pointed toward the door, N tore through it as fast as he could, leaving a wake of confusion and agitation behind him.

Touko felt as though her heart were about to leap out of her chest as she saw N storming towards them. "N!" she cried, jerking as hard as she could against Blayre's grip.

"Too bad," he sighed. "We were just getting started."

As N came closer to them, he stopped walking and pulled Touko's face around towards his. She gasped as she took in Blayre's face for it was the opposite of what she was expecting. He was young, possibly only a few years older than N, with long black hair. He had high, proud cheek bones and a sharp, well-chiseled jawline. His skin was smooth, completely unflawed or marred in anyway. His lips, which were pulled back into a broad, cruel smile, were a gentle, soft pink color. His eyes, which held her in their manic, delighted gaze, were the most stunning and vivid shade of blue she had ever seen. In short, he was beautiful.

"Don't even think it," N snarled at him as he pulled out a Pokeball from his pocket, twirling it between his fingers tauntingly.

"Sorry," he said lightly. "But I've been waiting to do this for a very long time."

Touko pushed against him as hard as she could but it was as effective as pushing against a mountain. He held her firmly in place as he brought his lips down upon hers. As his tongue forced her mouth open, she bit down on it hard, tasting the unmistakable saltiness of blood; and yet he just continued on as if she hadn't done a thing. After what seemed like a lifetime, she felt his grip on her neck release and she was pushed forward into N's open arms.

"Thanks, Doll," he said, wiping away the blood from his lips. "I hope you don't play so rough with him."

N wrapped his arms around her tightly while she sobbed, her mouth still flooded with the sickening taste of Blayre's blood. "Shh," he said gently as she buried her face in his neck. He stroked her hair gently, overwhelmed with happiness that he had found her when he had, as he bore holes in the man standing behind her with his eyes.

"You're okay now, Touko; everything is going to be fine. I promise I won't let anything happen to you. But you have to do something for me now; you have to sit down on the ground for a minute. I've got some business to tend to right now," he said gently.

She nodded her head weakly as he helped her to the ground, placing her purse in her hands. He rose to his feet and stepped toward Blayre, who was examining his hands in mock boredom. It was only now that Touko was able to see what was on his hands that had made them feel so slippery and wet against her skin when he had grabbed her. Now caked and dried, a thick layer of dark, rich blood coated them. It was unlike human blood in its color and thickness; no, this blood had come from a Pokémon—likely a Seel.

"I hope you enjoyed that," N growled through clenched teeth. "After I'm through with you, you'll be taking the rest of your meals through a straw."

"Oh, we were having quite the time until you came and broke up the party. You should have let me finish her off; once she knew what she was missing, she'd definitely let you take her for a spin—though I doubt you could ever compare to me."

"If you so much as ever even think about laying a finger on her again, I swear I'll—"

"You'll what, N? You'll kill me? Don't make me laugh. Even if you had it in you to take a life, do you really think that _you_ could kill _me_? You and I are from different worlds, _Your Highness_. The power inside me is incomparable. I'm a _real_ hero of legend, not some over privileged brat that's forever whining about how hard my life was. 'Oh, no! My daddy doesn't love me! My castle is _too_ big!' " he said in a sing-song voice, his sick smile still plastered across his face.

"You are right about one thing—we are from different worlds. It must take an incredibly powerful man to overcome an unarmed, crying, one hundred and fifteen pound girl in the dark. Oh, yes, you are the epitome of heroism. As for my ability to take a life," N said quietly as he enlarged his Pokeball, "you are right. I do not have it in me to bring another human to their end. Vermin, on the other hand, I have no problem with exterminating."

Touko sat wide eyed on the ground as she watched the scene play out in front of her, her senses numbed partially from shock. She had involuntarily opened her purse and pulled out both Zekrom and Serperior's Pokeballs, ready to release them at any time if need be. As she watched N and Blayre prepare to battle each other, still shouting back threats at each other, she felt an odd, tingly sensation on her right wrist. Instinctively, she pulled her arm up to eye level, searching for any irregularities in her skin.

Dangling innocently before her was the strange black key. She watched it twirl, its rubies glittering in the moonlight like red fire. She was filled suddenly with an overwhelming and inexplicable urge to remove it from her body. She closed her left hand around it, her fingers wrapping easily around the cold, tarnished silver, and yanked on it as hard as she could. The smooth red satin band bit into her skin like a knife, refusing to break.

Tired of being pushed around, Touko defiantly gripped the key tighter and continued to pull on it. If she could control just one thing that happened to her today maybe she could fix the other things that had gone wrong. Her fingernails scratched at the corroded silver, filling her mind with the sound of nails on a chalk board, as she frantically clawed at the trinket. Now thoroughly annoyed and feeling frustrated at her powerlessness, she closed her entire hand around it, making the key disappear from her sight completely.

As her skin made full contact with the key, she stopped her struggling and just held it in her hand, a new mixture of emotions parading through her. _It has a heartbeat? No, it can't. That's just impossible_, she told herself. And yet she couldn't deny that the strange rhythmic pulsation in her palm was real. It was muted, like the ticking of a clock heard through a layer of cotton, but it was undoubtedly there. It was steady and regular, beating evenly in her hand like a tiny metronome.

Feeling supremely insane, she opened her hand and held the little key up to her ear. "Are you…alive, Key?" she whispered to it. _Oh God, what am I expecting? For it to answer me? I must be in shock or something_. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard two loud pops, signaling the beginning of N and Blayre's battle. She had completely forgotten about them.

"Liepard-that's a…bold choice," Blayre chuckled. "Aren't those things infamous for sucking?"

"You should watch what you say about him; he has a very bad temper. On more than one occasion he's abandoned the battle completely and attacked my opponent."

The large purple and yellow cat wove in and out N's legs, rubbing his head against his calves while he purred. As he poked his head out between N's legs, he eyed the large, growling bear-like Pokémon standing in the field before them. As it stomped its feet, still growling furiously, a ring of fire shot up around its neck like a great mane.

_A Typhlosion…how interesting. Are we battling another bad trainer, N?_

"I do not know if he hurts any of his own Pokémon," N answered honestly. "But, do you smell the blood on him? It came from a Seel he nearly killed…he cut into its flesh for the sole purpose of delivering a message to me. Oh, he also said that Liepards are known for sucking."

_I see_.

The Liepard stretched out and bounded forward on to the field, circling the Typhlosion while bearing its fangs. All the while, he never took his eyes off Blayre; he took in deep and easy breaths as he surveyed his real opponent. Finally, the Typhlosion could take no more waiting; he sliced the air with his claws in impatience and the Liepard jumped back, crouching low to the ground in preparation for the battle.

"Liepard, Sucker Punch."

"Typhlosion, use Inferno!"

The flame collar around the Pokémon flared and began growing in size. The grass around its feet began to turn brown and some even caught fire. Flares began shooting off of it as the blaze grew bigger and bigger. As Typhlosion's power came close to peaking, Liepard quickly dashed forward and sliced at its soft and unprotected underbelly. It let out an agonizing yelp, its blaze dying down as the hurt of the Liepard's attack set in; Liepard sat down and licked its front paws, patiently awaiting its next command.

"I'm sorry, Liepard, but if we want to win you'll have to take this hit. Can you do it?"

_Of course, N. I've taken far harder hits from better opponents than this_.

"Typhlosion, use Quick Attack while you recharge!"

"Alright—brace for impact and then use Payback."

As the Typhlosion charged forward with dizzying speed, Liepard crouched down as close to the ground as it could, digging its claws into the dirt. The Typhlosion slammed into him hard, sending him skidding backward on the ground. The pain in his side was excruciating, but that was not going to stop him from defeating his opponent. As the Typhlosion righted itself from his dash, Liepard rushed forward and buried its claws deep in the side of his face. Another yelp of pain escaped from the Typhlosion as Liepard gracefully sauntered back towards N, refusing to let its pain show in any of its movements. Injured and infuriated, the Typhlosion was now stomping on the ground, his flame collar blazing and flaring wildly, completely ignoring all of Blayre's commands.

"Now's your chance, Liepard; use Hyper Beam and finish this battle!"

The cat threw back it head and opened its mouth; all of its muscles tightened as it took in a deep breath. Suddenly, a bright ball of energy began forming on its tongue. The sight was truly bizarre: the Typhlosion was still rampaging, furious over the large wound in its cheek; as the ball of energy grew larger, all of Liepard's fur stood up as if it was full of static electricity. Without warming, a bright flash of light filled the field; Touko had to close her eyes it was so brilliant.

When she opened her eyes she saw N's Liepard lying breathlessly at his feet while he loving scratched behind its ears. Across the field, Blayre was clutching his side and cursing loudly at the Liepard. Typhlosion had returned of its own accord to its ball after receiving the blast; however, this is not where the battle had ended.

"I warned you," N said, unable to help smiling. "He hates when people insult him."

"Don't even think this is close to over," Blayre growled, clutching his now freely bleeding side. "The next time I face you, I won't fall for such dirty and underhanded tricks. But, I guess I can understand why you did what you did. How else could you have beaten me with such a weak Pokémon?"

Liepard cocked his head to the side, opening one eye to take in the damage he had done to Blayre. He purred in satisfaction as he saw that his blood had seeped through the fabric of his shirt.

_Weak indeed_.

"I didn't think a person like you would have a problem with bending the rules of battle a little. After all, you've already proven yourself to be a man of no honor—a man who stands for nothing," N said calmly.

"I doubt someone like you could ever hope to understand someone like me, N. As for you, Doll," he said, turning toward Touko, "You're alright. Maybe the next time we run into each other you can give me another taste of that fire."

"The next time we meet," Touko growled, "I'm going to make you feel as weak and flimsy as you made me feel tonight."

"Is that a promise?" he asked, a smile spreading across his face as he stumbled toward her.

N's fist slammed into his already injured side like a wrecking ball. His ribs groaned in protest, bending brittlely as he felt N's fist smash into his cheek. He fell to his knees, now clutching his side in agony as he struggled to get to his feet.

"Don't you ever speak to her like that again," N snarled, his hands still balled into fists.

Disgusted, Blayre spat on the ground, his eyes burning with rage as he retreated into the night. He grabbed another Pokeball from the internal pocket of his jacket. With a loud pop, he released his Dragonite. Leaning against her side for support, he caught his breath. He could hear Touko laughing in the distance as Liepard hissed and meowed playfully. Soon, he heard the crunching of gravel underneath shoes; so, N had followed him.

He lumbered awkwardly onto his Dragonite's back, wrapping his arms securely around her neck. "Take me home," he groaned. The muscles in his side contracted painfully, sending a sickening burning sensation throughout his body. As the dragon lifted off the ground, he could see the outline of N's body in the darkness; he could hear him curse as he realized that he wouldn't be able to settle his score with him tonight.

"Dragonite," Blayre said weakly. "If that man tries to follow us, rip him limb from limb."

As he soared higher into the sky, his vision blurring from the pain of his wounds, he knew there would be no chase tonight; it was too soon for that. He relaxed and leaned his head against Dragonite's neck, enjoying the cool wind whipping past his face.

_When will we open the gate, Blayre?_

"Soon," he answered, tugging on the aquamarine satin ribbon he kept tied around his neck. He pressed his hand to his heart, the rough sapphires of his skeleton key digging into his skin. "Very soon."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N-It has come to my attention that this chapter was confusing for some people; I have to apologize for that. When I uploaded the document, I didn't look it over well enough. I didn't notice that the divider between the first half (N and and Touko in the room) and the second half (Blayre at home) was missing. I have since added it, so I hope that clears up any confusion as to why this jumps from one part to another. Also, I'd just like to mention that you meet N.G.S. in this chapter.

* * *

><p>"Do you want me to set you down on the bed?" N asked Touko tremulously. He had been carrying her for almost two miles; though she stubbornly insisted on trying to walk most of the way back to the hotel without help, it had taken them nearly half an hour to go half a mile on her shaky legs.<p>

"Yeah," she said quietly. "Thanks for the ride."

He sat her down gently on the foot of the bed, taking care to make sure that she was steady before letting her go all the way. Exhausted, he collapsed on the bed and pulled his hat over his face. "You may want to, er, clean up before you go to sleep, Touko," he said, his voice muffled through his hat.

"I don't think I can," she whispered. "I'm still shaking all over. I can't believe how close I came to being…hurt," she said weakly, carefully avoiding the word she was actually thinking.

"But y-y-you've got some, uh, blood on your n-neck," he stammered, sitting up a little too quickly.

"What?" She reached her hand up to her throat and sure enough found little slicks of moisture there; she pulled her hand away and examined her fingertips in the light, revealing the unmistakable crimson liquid. "It must have come from his hands," she said flatly, her eyes burning with tears as she remembered how weak she had felt when he had grabbed her neck.

"Yeah," N responded.

"I just want to go to sleep," she groaned. "I can't look at it right now; it'll just make me feel worse."

"Alright," he said gently. He placed his hand on her shoulder, stroking her skin lightly with his fingers. "I'll be right back, okay? The door and the window are locked and you have all your Pokemon with you," he reassured her.

She nodded her head in understanding; he rose to his feet and walked to the bathroom, locking the door behind him. She scooted back to the headboard and leaned back against it, hugging her knees to her chest. She had never felt smaller or more pathetic in her entire life than she did right now.

_How could I have been so stupid? I should have known better than to go outside by myself—especially after what had just happened. What would have happened to me if N hadn't been there to help me?_She shuddered as she thought of Blayre grinding his hips against her hands. The tears she had been holding back the whole walk back finally broke free, flowing down her cheeks like a waterfall.

N's cool hand wiped away her tears; she looked up to see him sitting next her with an ice bucket full of warm water and a towel, a heartbroken look on his face. "What's that for?" she asked, sniffling as she was unable to stifle her tears. He didn't answer her; he pulled the tie from his hair and brushed hers away from her face. She sat forward and allowed him to pull it back into a loose bun at the base of her neck.

He stood up on the bed, his head almost scraping the ceiling, and sat back down so that he was sitting in front of her with his legs crossed. He placed the bucket full of water between his legs and wrung out the towel, taking great care not to splash water on the bed. "Hold your head up, please," he said gently.

She leaned her head back against the headboard and closed her eyes, letting herself get carried away in her thoughts. She sighed as she felt the moist, warm towel press gently against her neck; the fibers of the towel were scratchy against her raw skin, but she didn't care. It felt wonderful to have him massage her neck so soothingly. He was always so careful with her, like she was a breakable, precious object.

"Is this okay?" he asked as he increased the pressure of his touch slightly.

"Yeah, you're fine," she whispered. "It feels great."

He dipped the towel back in the water and brought it back to her neck. Big drops of water rolled from her throat to her chest; it clung to the top her dress like a child to its mother's skirt, raising big goose bumps on her skin. A blush rose on N's cheeks as he caught himself starring at her chest, his hands shaking slightly as he dabbed off the excess moisture. It didn't help that she kept sighing so sweetly either.

"All done," he said breathlessly, his brow now bearing a thin layer of sweat.

"Thank you," Touko said sincerely, sitting up and opening her eyes. "I really didn't want to have to clean that off myself."

"No problem. I'm not trying to upset you, but, well, it's just that I don't want you to be surprised in the morning…"

"What is it?" she asked, her hands scrambling up to her neck.

"You have a little bruise on your shoulder," he said, gently touching the spot where the purple crescent was.

"Gross," she moaned, covering it up with her hand.

"What's gross about it? It's just a little bruise; it'll be gone in a couple of days at most."

"It's from him biting me," she said quietly.

"He bit you?" N asked incredulously. "I should have broken his arm," he said darkly.

"Save that for me; the next time I see that bastard I'm going to rip off his—"

N put his hand on her lips, effectively silencing her rant. "Don't waste your thoughts on him. Let's just go to sleep. We have to wake up early so we can leave without being detected."

He picked up the bucket of water and placed it on the nightstand. Gently, he removed Touko's now wrecked flip-flops from her feet and set them on the floor before he kicked off his own shoes and socks. He rolled over to the other side of the bed and pulled back the covers for her, waiting patiently for her to snuggle down before he got under the covers too.

N gently rolled Touko to her side so that she was facing him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his chest. He let his arms hang loosely around her neck, idly stroking the bare skin on her shoulders. He could feel her shuddering against his body, signaling that she had started crying again.

"Shh," he said gently, pressing his lips to the top of her head. "It's all over now; you're safe. I won't let anything happen to you; I promise."

Choking back her tears, Touko pulled away from his chest and twined her legs in his. Tenderly, she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him as sweetly and as gently as he had that day in the water. Her tears splashed down on his cheeks as she let her forehead rest against his. After a while her tears dried up and N could feel her body go limp as she was carried off into sleep. He kissed her lightly on the forehead and wrapped his arms tightly around her as he too was swept away by sleep's inescapable tide.

* * *

><p>"Staggering home late again, Big Brother?" an airy voice called. "Weren't you just supposed to deliver a package to—"<p>

"Don't you speak his name in front of me, Atreyu," Blayre grumbled, his voice full of poison.

The younger boy jumped back as his older brother stomped past him, his sneakers squeaking loudly on the white marble tiles of the foyer. Atreyu sighed as he heard his brother's door slam shut; Blayre just hadn't been himself the past few months and his constant bad attitude was beginning to get on his nerves.

_I have to cut him some slack, though. Sister does try to cause him as much misery as she can_, he thought.

Exhausted, Atreyu stretched out his arms and yawned as he climbed the numerous stairs that led to his room. They were slick and cold on his bare feet, being made of the same white marble as all the other floors in the estate; he had fallen down them many times from fatigue or carelessness. He gripped the wrought iron banister and pulled himself up, letting the rest of his body go limp as he made the arduous journey.

By the time he reached his floor, the sun was beginning to peek out from behind the horizon. He sat down on the top step to rest for a moment, hugging his brother's discarded jacket to himself as he gazed out at the morning sky; Blayre was terrible about just throwing his things everywhere. He buried his face in the cool blue satin lining, taking in his brother's scent. It didn't matter how distant Blayre was from him sometimes; all Atreyu had to do was hold his jacket to feel close to him, to remember back to when his brother had been happy.

Atreyu pulled the jacket away from his face, shocked by the wetness he felt on his cheek. He put his hand on his face and wiped away the stickiness; he held his hand in the weak sunlight, taking in the crimson liquid on his fingertips. He could hear the sound of the shower running in Blayre's suite. Atreyu knew that this meant he was trying to clean his wounds out before he bandaged them. Normally, it didn't matter how dirty he got on his mission; Blayre would always go straight to bed.

_So, he's hurt again_, he thought, sighing as he saw the rips in his jacket. _Why does she do this to him? She knows he can't control his temper at all; maybe she wants him to die. It would be easier for all of us if he did…No—those are her words, not mine_. He shook his head violently from side to side as though he could physically shake his sister's words from his mind. _So, her poison is spreading_.

He rose to his feet, leaving the wrecked jacket behind on the steps, and walked down the long corridor that led to Blayre's suite. The mounted lights of the hallway flickered as he walked past them, the perfect facsimile of the candle light that once lit the corridors of his family's home. Atreyu loved his sister's house; everything inside of it glittered like it was made of crystal to him. When the sun was at its apex in the sky the whole estate shone just as brightly as it did; it was like living inside a star.

Everything outside of their personal rooms was pure white; his sister had ordered it that way when she became head of the family. The white silk drapes that blew in the morning breeze had been painstakingly hand stitched with his family's crest by his mother, as had all the curtains in the estate. He missed her sometimes, but he knew that it was fruitless to do so; she had been dead for many years now, just like his father.

He stopped outside the dark cherry wood door at the end of the hall; Blayre's name was emblazoned on it bright blue letters. Blayre had always hated that; he said it made him feel like he was five years old. Atreyu could hear his brother swearing under his breath; the idiot probably hadn't even thought to take any pain medication. Hesitantly, he pushed open the heavy door.

His brother's room, like everything he owned, was decorated in blue tones. It was as calm and gentle as Blayre's demeanor. Even now, as sour and glum as he had become, his brother still spoke to him with his signature coldness. Blayre was seated at his black grand piano; idly, he pressed the same key over and over as he stared out his floor to ceiling window. A spool of plastic medical thread lay on the floor next to his feet, tossed aside in a fit of rage.

"Go away, Trey," Blayre whispered. "You should be in bed."

"Let me see your side," he said, unfazed by his brother's chiding. "You always make such a mess of yourself when you do your own stitches."

Blayre groaned as his brother seated himself on the piano bench next to him. Atreyu pushed his arm up gently and inspected his side. Blayre's hadn't succeeded in making a single stich, though there were several haphazard little pinpricks in his skin. The cuts weren't long, but they were deep and jagged; clearly, they hadn't been made by a knife.

"You must have really made the Pokémon who did this to you angry," Atreyu said, smirking slightly at his brother's ineptitude. "Looks like you really made N mad too," he said, pointing out the now fully formed bruise on his cheek. "Or was it Touko?"

"Shut up."

"Keep your arm up, B.B.; I'll fix you up."

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that," Blayre grumbled.

"Yeah, you did," he answered as released his Audino from its Pokeball. She was dressed in a full nursing uniform, complete with adorable surgical hat. "Viola, would you like to assist me in giving Blayre some stitches?"

"Audino!" she chimed. She picked up the spool of thread and handed it to Atreyu.

"Thanks, Viola; don't take it personally if he curses. Blayre's a big baby when it comes to needles."

"God, why do you insist on nicknaming all of your Pokémon? It's so—shit!" Blayre yelled, jumping back in agony as Viola administered a numbing shot.

"Don't be so dramatic; it was just a little shot. You've got four more to go," Atreyu giggled.

"Fine; just make it quick," Blayre grumbled, a bright blush rising in his cheeks. "Thank you, Trey," he whispered.

"Don't mention it," he said lightly as he took a sterilized needle from Viola. She always carried a few in her medical smock. "Now hold still; it's important that she gets these shots in just the right place so you don't feel the stitches."

"You're so grown up these days, Trey; what happened to my goofy little brother? How old are you now, anyway? Like thirty-seven?" Blayre joked as Viola readied the next syringe.

"Try fifteen, you jerk," he answered as he wiped away some of the dried blood from his brother's side.

"Fifteen, huh? I suppose you'll be leaving home soon, if Sister allows it. Fu—"

"I've already spoken to her about it," Atreyu said, cutting off his brother's whining. "I'm going to stay here and go to medical school; she said she would set-up an internship for me at a Pokémon Center nearby. It's for the best really; Sister needs us close by right now."

"Is that what you want, Trey? You know you don't have to do as she says until you formerly enter the family. You can still get out," he said quietly.

"I may not have debuted yet, but I am already in the family; you should know that," he answered flatly. "In a way, I debuted the day you brought me here."

"I wish I never had. I should have done so many things differently, but I was…I was too weak to take care of you by myself then," Blayre said, his voice shaking with an emotion he rarely felt: regret. "I am truly sorry for bringing you to this cursed place, Atreyu. You deserve a much better life than this."

"I like it here, Blayre. It's beautiful and I can spend as much time in the library as I want; I have so much more opportunity here than I would if we lived anywhere else. Doing what Sister tells me to is a small price to pay for that," Atreyu said as he dabbed Blayre's wounds with an antiseptic liquid Viola had in her uniform. "I don't blame you for what happened, B.B.; I never have."

"Why do you think Sister calls me B.B., Trey?" Blayre asked, wincing in pain as Viola administer a third shot.

"Because you were born three minutes before her," he answered. Blayre stared at him blankly, clearly not following his logic. "B.B. stands for Big Brother, right?"

"Yeah, that's what it means."

Blayre chuckled at his brother's innocence. He watched as he continued to fuss over him, making sure that his wounds were perfectly clean. Though they were brothers, they looked nothing alike. Atreyu had taken after their mother. He was still so small; he couldn't have been more than five foot seven. He had long, floppy blonde hair that hung around his head like a mop. His eyes, though just as vivid as Blayre's, were a hazel tone.

Blayre was by no means a sentimental man. He didn't have any real friends; he had connections. There had been a time when he had walked among other people and saw them as his equals; now, at best, he saw them as tools and, at worst, as obstacles. Everything changed the day he moved into his sister's house; she had opened his eyes to his real purpose and, for that, he was forever indebted to her. People were now just hollow husks to him.

Atreyu, however, was the exception to this. He had loved him from the moment he had laid eyes on him. Everything he did for his sister he truly did for him; it didn't matter how much he hated living in her home or what he had become as a result of it. Atreyu had needed a home and she had been able to give it to him. He could have left the day he brought him to her estate and gone off on his own, but he didn't; if he was being honest with himself, he needed Atreyu far more than he needed him.

"What are you doing up still, Atreyu?" a cold, feminine voice called.

Standing in the doorway of Blayre's room was his sister, the current head of their family. She, like her brother, was beautiful. Being twins, they shared many of the same features; she was somewhat smaller than him, though, and her hair was not quite as dark as his. She wore, as always, a plain white dress; today it was a lacy baby doll that made her look as if she were a child. Her sole decoration was the bright purple satin ribbon she wore in her hair like a crown; neatly positioned in the center of the girlish bow was a bright gold key that glittered with amethysts.

"Oh, hello, Sist—I mean, Mistress," Atreyu sputtered. "I was just about to start giving B.B. some stitches."

"Leave us; I'll finish. You need your rest," she said flatly.

"But Viola and I haven't finished numbing—"

"Leave us now, Atreyu, and please take Viola with you; I'm sure Blayre will be fine," she said, her voice full of ice.

"Yes, Mistress," he said, rising to his feet. Viola mimicked his careful movements as they left the room, hoping to impress the lady of the house. "Good night," he whispered quietly as he shut Blayre's door.

"So, _B.B._," she said mockingly, "I see that your temper has gotten the better of you yet again."

"Forgive me, Mistress," he said as he hung his head, averting his eyes from her disappointed face. "I was indulging myself."

"With a woman, I expect," she said as she sat down next to him. She threaded the surgical needle carefully as she waited for his reply.

"Regretfully, yes, Mistress."

"With _her_? Please tell me you wouldn't try anything so stupid," she spat. She grabbed Blayre's chin and turned his face toward hers, forcing him to make eye contact with her. Her fierce blue eyes were the same as his and when he was forced to look into them like this he felt like he was looking in a mirror.

"I'm sorry, Mistress; I made a—"

His eye felt like it was going to explode as she brought down her delicate hand across his already swollen cheek. He held his face in silence, cursing her in his mind; she had always been smaller than him, but her strength easily rivaled that of any man. She had opened a tiny cut in skin with her nails, making blood trickle down his face.

"Blayre, you _fool_," she growled, her hand stinging from the force of the slap she gave him. "Do you have any idea how close you came to ruining this family tonight? No, I suppose you don't; you can't think," she hissed, pushing the needle through his skin.

"Mistress, please, I beg you, be gentle; I think one of my ribs may be broken," Blayre said weakly. He despised having to speak to her like this, but he knew better than to address her any other way when she was angry.

"You deserve worse," she spat as she pierced his tender and still fully sensitive skin. "I ask you to do one thing—deliver the key to him discretely—and you are incapable of it. The only thing you seem to excel at is destruction. I titled you well, didn't I, Blayre the Butcher?" She drove the needle through his skin a hard as she could, delighting as she saw blood ooze from the sutures she made.

"Yes, Mistress, my name does suit me well. Thank you for bestowing me with it," he said calmly, hiding his pain as best he could.

"Maybe I should just send Trey in your place," she mused, twisting her little finger in the last open part of his wound before pushing the needle through his skin. His whole side felt like it was on fire as she deliberately twisted the needle through his skin. If he hadn't hated her for the agony she was putting him through, he would have for her threat against his brother.

"You wouldn't," Blayre whispered, his anger beginning to get the better of him.

"Why wouldn't I? He's old enough to know what you do."

"He's too gentle for this kind of work. He doesn't have it in him to hurt anything."

"That's what mother used to say about you, but look how well you have blossomed. No, I think Atreyu will be a fine replacement for you."

"Why are you doing this to me, Noah? Does it bring you pleasure to see me in pain?" he spat. "You know as well as I do that he isn't capable of such actions. It would destroy him."

"You dare address me by my name, Brother?" she hissed as she squeezed his side, making sure to dig her nails into his already tender flesh. "You forget your place tonight; or, perhaps, it is jealousy that makes you speak so rashly."

"Jealousy?" he growled, prying her dainty claw from his skin. "What do you have that I should be jealous of exactly?"

"Don't lie, Blayre," she sighed. "You've been terribly jealous of me since we were children. I can still see your hateful little face when I was chosen over you by the great dragon. You've resented my greatness your whole miserable existence."

"You aren't any better than me, Noah. The only reason I do anything you tell me to do is for Trey's sake."

"Oh, yes? I suppose forcing yourself on Touko was for him, then; as was your pointless battle with N. God, Blayre, how do you still labor under the delusion that we are equals? I own your blood, Blayre; never forget that," she said, wiping the blood on her pinky beneath her eyes like war paint. "It's mine to do with as I like, just like you and Atreyu."

"Please, Mistress, leave him out of this. Do what you like with me, but let him be," he pleaded.

"Relax, Brother; I have no real plans for him yet. You have turned out to be far more valuable than I expected. Even if you are guided by some juvenile need to be better than me. You are and have always been loyal to me; you're very much like my pet dog." She pulled his final stitch tight, his skin cinching back together roughly.

"I agree, Mistress," he conceded.

"Of course you do, Blayre," she said as she rose to her feet. "Rest; I'll be needing your services again shortly. I'd hate to have to send someone else in your place," she said coldly as she exited his room.

"Bitch," he mumbled under his breath as he shuffled to his bed. He twirled his key between his fingers for a moment, a nervous habit he had picked up over the years. _I don't regret anything I did tonight, especially grabbing that girl. She was worth the punch in the face_, he thought, a smile playing on his lips. He ran one of his hands through his hair as he remembered the sweet shape of delicate body beneath his hands; it was as smooth and shapely as the pear cut sapphires he currently ran his fingers over.

_You'll be free of this place one day, Blayre. You can break the chains she has put on your brother. All you have to do is find the others; then we can open the gate._

He collapsed on the bed, his side surging with pain as he lied on it. He picked up the key and pressed it to his lips. "I hope you are right," he whispered. "I really do."


	15. Chapter 15

"Ugh! I hate this stupid tent!" Touko raged, kicking at the ground in frustration.

N sighed as quietly as he could as he took over setting up their campsite. Touko had been in a foul mood ever since she had woken up. He placed the posts on the ground methodically, making sure that they were the perfect distance away from each other. From the corner of his eye, he could see Touko sitting on the ground. Her eyes were closed and her lips were pursed out as if she had tasted something disgustingly bitter; her arms were crossed across her chest and she shifted her feet anxiously underneath her.

_She must be having a really hard time dealing with what happened last night_, he thought as he carefully ran the supportive poles through the tent. _I wish I knew what to say to her that would make her feel better…but, I guess it wouldn't really matter what I said; how can words repair physical actions?_

"Done," he said proudly, surveying his work with just a hint of arrogance. "Would you like to lie down before we head into Fortree City? I know you didn't get much sleep last night."

"What are you implying?" she asked, her eyebrows twitching slightly. "That I look tired?" she grumbled darkly.

"N-no," he sputtered, all signs of his cocky attitude wiped away by her glum mood. "You look lovely, Touko. I just thought that you might enjoy a quick nap before we headed back into another town."

She sighed and held out her hand, waiting for N to help her up. He looked at her hand blankly, confused by the gesture. Impatiently, she shook her hand at him, hoping that he would get the hint without her having to explain it to him. He placed his hand in hers hesitantly and pulled her as carefully as he could to her feet.

"Alright, let's rest for a while," she grumbled.

She unzipped the entryway to the tent and climbed inside; it was much bigger than her old tent and considerably more luxurious, containing two zippered windows and a bug screen on the front flap. On any other day, she probably would have been happy to know that she would be camping so comfortably. Today, however, it just annoyed her; it reminded her of the kind of tent inexperienced, whiny, indoors-type people took with them when they wanted to 'rough it.'

She stared pensively out of one of the little windows, her mind a jumble of irritation and anger, as N laid out their sleeping bags and unloaded any supplies they might need. She brought her hand to her mouth and chewed on her nails, a nervous habit she had tried many times to overcome. When N had finally finished setting up, she had worn her nails down to short stubs.

_We're safe here; nobody followed us_, she thought. She shook her head, disgusted with herself. _Why can't I just put this behind me? I know it's only been a few hours, but it's not like anything really bad happened to me; it could've been so much worse than it was. I just need to get on with my life_.

She covered her eyes with her palms, hoping irrationally that if she covered her actual eyes she could somehow cover her mind's eye as well. She shuddered as the tiny silver key thudded against her cheek. Ever since she had felt that strange pulsation, her key seemed to have changed. It was normally cold, holding only the heat that she produced. Now, however, it had taken on an unnaturally warm feeling; when it brushed against her skin, Touko couldn't help but be reminded of a living creature. As unsettling as this was, it was not what she found the most disturbing about her key's recent transformation.

She held her right hand out in front of her face in the sunlight. The round cut little rubies sparkled as brilliantly as they always did, shining back at her like three fiery little eyes. This was nothing new; ever since N had first tied the key around her wrist, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched by those haunting gems. Glittering just as bright as the small jewels was the normally tarnished body; it was now pristine, sparkling with all the splendor of freshly polished silver. It was as if that odd pulsation had invigorated the key's body, wiping away all the years of oxidation that it had suffered.

Hesitantly, she closed her other hand around it, not sure what to expect. She exhaled, relief washing over her; the only thing she felt in the palm of her hand was its preternatural heat. _Maybe I was just feeling my own heartbeat_, she thought, remembering how painfully fast her heart had thumped when Blayre had his hands on her. She sat down on her sleeping bag, oblivious to N's concerned stare, her legs shaking as her body relived the sickening swooning feeling that too rapid of a heartbeat gave her. _I imagined it; that's the only logical explanation. It's absurd to think anything else. An inanimate object absolutely cannot have a pulse_.

"Are you thinking about the riddle?" N asked her, seating himself next to her.

"No," she answered. "I was just thinking…about things."

"Oh, yes?" he asked, his voice light and happy. "Things are my favorite subject to think upon."

She rolled her eyes at him, annoyed at his ability to feel upbeat. "Very funny," she grumped. She sighed and let her arm fall to her side, afraid he would notice the change that her key had undergone; she dreaded having to tell him about the imagined heartbeat she had felt coming from it. "I haven't thought at all about N.G.S's note since we left Nuvema Town."

"Well, I can't say that it has been the main focus of my thoughts lately either, but I have spent some time on it. I've come up with several theories on what it could mean."

"Lay 'em on me," she said. She hoped very much that the soothing sound of his voice would take her mind off of 'things.'

"I haven't actually come up with anything too spectacular, I must admit," he said sourly, clearly annoyed at his inability to unravel the riddle entirely. He pulled the neatly folded note out of his front pocket and held it out to her. "See how it's phrased? 'The truth of the truth'—it reminds me of calculus."

"Calculus?" she repeated incredulously. Only N would relate something so sinister to something as methodical and governed as math.

He nodded. "Yeah; are you familiar with The Chain Rule?"

"I remember learning about it, but the last time I used it was like three years ago, so not really."

"Okay; well, basically, it's a formula you can use to find the derivative of a function composed of two or more functions. Do you follow?"

"Kind of," she said, biting her bottom lip as she tried to recall her meager knowledge of calculus. "But I don't really see how derivatives have anything to do with the truth."

He smiled at her frankness. "They don't; it's just what it reminded me of."

"Would you care to spell out your thoughts in English for those of us that don't have calculators in our brains?" she teased.

He crossed his arms in mock irritation. "It's like if you had a hidden power inside of you. When you thought about your identity, you certainly wouldn't include it in your definition of yourself; how could? And yet, it would still make up who you were; you need it to be whole. Just like you need the derivative of the inside function as well as the outside function to get the correct answer, you need all components of the truth to actually have the truth—not just the superficial ones."

"Okay, so, what's the truth and what pieces are we missing?" she asked excitedly.

"I haven't the slightest idea," he said flatly. "I've been racking my brain for an answer ever since we received this note and I've been defeated at every turn. The best conclusion I've come to thus far is that it has something to do with that key."

"Oh," she said, feeling slightly deflated. "It makes sense that this _thing_ would have something to do with whatever truth this N.G.S. person is eluding to."

She held her arm up and flicked at the key irately, watching is swing hypnotically before her. N's eyes widened as he took in the now mirror-polished body.

"Did you clean it yesterday, Touko?" he said, carefully grasping her arm so that he could better examine the tiny object. "It's so shiny now. Wow, look at this silver—it must be pure."

"Y-yeah," she sputtered, pulling her arm back to the her side. _Shit, now I have to say something. I can't lie to him; he probably read a book about interrogation techniques and knows how to tell when people are lying_. "We need to talk about that…" She let her head hang forward so that her hair covered her face. As stupid as it was, she felt comforted by it, like she was hiding in a security blanket.

"What's the matter?" N asked gently, taking her chin in his hand.

"It's going to sound crazy," she said quietly.

"Touko, what is it?" he asked, lifting her head so that she made eye contact with him. He could tell from the look in her deep blue eyes that she was genuinely afraid.

"Last night, while you and Blayre were battling, the key did something."

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly with apprehension.

"I felt this tingling on my arm so I checked to see if it was the key. When I looked at it—I don't know what happened—it was like I had to get it off of my body; so I started pulling on the ribbon, but I couldn't get it loose. I just closed my hand around it so I wouldn't have to look at it anymore; that's when I felt it…" she said, her voice trailing off as she remembered the frantic little pulsation in her palm. "It had a heartbeat—like it just came to life or something."

"A heartbeat? That's impossible, Touko. You must have been feeling your own pulse," he said, his voice gentle and nonjudgmental.

"N, I know that it couldn't have happened, but I swear I felt it. I've been telling myself all day that it wasn't possible, but look at it!" she pressed, holding it out in front of his face. "I don't even like to look at the evil little thing; there's no way I could stand to touch it long enough to clean all the gunk off of it. I woke up this morning and this is how it looked. It's like it was hibernating before, but something happened last night that woke it up."

N held the key in the palm of his hand for a moment, his face unreadable as he appraised it. "I don't feel anything, Touko," he said. "There's no pulsation."

"I only felt it that one time," she admitted. "I keep waiting for it to do it again, but it hasn't done it yet. I sound insane, don't I?" she asked, throwing her free hand up in the air in exasperation.

"Shh," he said quietly, moving his ear toward the key in his palm. "Do you hear that? It's like crackling or something."

She bent her head down towards it awkwardly and listened with him for a moment. Sure enough, she could hear bizarre rustling and popping sounds. She jerked her head up and pulled her arm back to her side. She had had enough of its weirdness for one day.

"I know that sound from somewhere," N said, a look of child-like curiosity on his face. "Why can't I remember where I've heard it? And its body was so warm," he said, shuddering slightly. "What can this mean?" He brought his hand up to his mouth, tapping his lips idly with his long fingers as his mind began to spin wildly.

She sighed, her frustration reaching a boiling point. She let herself fall back into N's lap, nuzzling her face against his thigh. She could see his face turn a light shade of pink as her eyes began to blink closed; she hadn't realized how exhausted she was until she way lying down. N placed his hand on her head lightly and stroked her hair as he continued to ponder the significance of her key. Every once in a while she could hear him mumble something under his breath.

She had been so caught up in everything going on around them that she had forgotten that this was supposed to be a vacation; she was supposed to be enjoying her and N's time together. She pressed her hands to her lips, remembering the way his lips had felt against hers the last time they had actually had time to kiss each other.

"Lay down with me, N. No more key talk; it's getting us nowhere. We're trying to solve a puzzle with half of the pieces missing," she whined, her voice heavy with sleep. She tugged on his sleeve demandingly. "Come on," she groaned.

"Alright, alright," he conceded.

He lifted her head off his leg and scooted back a bit before he lied back on his sleeping bag. She rolled over and nestled herself into his side, resting her head on his chest and wrapping her arm around his waist. She placed one of his hands on the small of her back, making him blush a darker shade of red.

She gazed up at his face, drinking in the shapes and contours she had come to adore over the years. His emerald eyes were warm and still full of curiosity as he looked down at her. A crooked smile sat on his lips as he held her in his gaze. He brushed an errant strand of hair out of his face, his golden bangles jingling together like wind chimes.

"It's just not fair," Touko whined.

"What isn't?" he asked.

"This whole mess," she said, gesturing to their surroundings. "It sucks."

"Eloquent as always," he chuckled. "But, I must agree. This does, in fact, suck. Touko," he said, lifting her chin so that she was looking into his eyes, "I'm so sorry…for everything."

She nodded her head, a weak smile playing on the corners of her lips. "It's okay. You didn't do anything. If it hadn't been for you, I don't know what would have happened to me."

"Please, let's not think about that unpleasantness. Let's just enjoy the tranquility of this place. It feels like an eternity since we've had a quiet moment together," he said softly. "I've missed them."

"Me too," she said, snuggling down into his chest.

"It's so stupid. I have so much to be worried about right now, but I can't bring myself to be bothered with any of my problems; I can't even focus on that stupid riddle. All that runs through my mind lately is you."

Touko felt her heart do a little cartwheel in her chest; no one had ever said such sweet, embarrassing things to her before. She had had boyfriends before, even some she had felt pretty strongly about, but none had ever made her feel so…stupid was the right word. It was like he had some special power over her; when he smiled at her he reduced her to a swooning, inexperienced school girl.

"Oh," she said, hating that she couldn't stop herself from giggling.

He tilted her head up ever so slightly and let his forehead rest against hers, his nose bumping into hers in an adorably awkward sort of way. His breath felt warm against her skin, making her head swim with romantic notions. His long hair fell around them wildly, filling her every breath with his dark, rich, masculine scent.

Her heart raced with anticipation as she felt him gently squeeze her lower back, his fingernails biting sensuously into her tender skin. Their lips met as powerfully as fire and gunpowder, igniting a blaze inside them both. N delighted in the frantic, pleading way that Touko laced her fingers through his hair. He loved the way her body felt as she pressed herself against him, as if she couldn't get close enough to him.

Their legs entwined together like the branches of the trees that towered over them. Touko could feel her composure slipping away from her as N grasped her roughly by her hips, pulling her on top of him. She fumbled with the few buttons of his slate gray thermal, careful to never break away from his lips. When she finally had them undone, she relinquished his lips and planted sweet, teasing kisses from his jawline down to his collar bone.

His skin tasted better than any sugary treat she had ever indulged in. She laid her head on his chest, nuzzling into the contours of it as she continued to softly kiss his exposed skin. Those now craved for little waves of electricity passed through her body rapturously as he gently stroked her hair, unable to keep his hips still against hers.

"You are killing me," he groaned as she traced over his chest with her fingers, letting her nails drag lightly over his skin. "If we keep going like this, I d-d-don't think I'll be able to s-s-stop."

"Good," she said, her voice heavy with desire.

"Are y-you sure?" he asked through giant gasps. His face was flushed from a mixture of pleasure and embarrassment.

She nodded her head, unable to actually vocalize her wanting; even if it was just the two of them, it was still a little embarrassing to say the words out loud. She knew this was childish and probably a sign that she shouldn't be engaging in such activities, but she didn't care. All her better logic and reason seemed to be out to lunch at the moment.

His whole body shook with anxiety and anticipation as adrenaline rushed through his veins. He took in her euphoric face, her eyes begging him to please continue; nothing could be more terrifying or more desirable to him than pushing this moment forward.

"M-me too," he said sweetly. "Are you nervous?" He would have blushed, humiliated at his inexperience, but his skin was already flushed bright red.

"A little," she whispered. She held his face in her hand and stroked his cheek with her fingers reassuringly, the little key tied around her wrist bumping against his neck with ever move she made. "But I don't think I can wait any—" she stopped short, her breath catching in the back of her throat, a pained look on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice shaking with worry.

"It burnt me," Touko said in disbelief.

"What burnt you?" N asked, now thoroughly panicked. He check all over his body awkwardly, looking for anything that could burn her.

"The key...it's so hot," she said. Her voice sounded like it was coming from very far away. "See?"

Sitting up, he positioned her awkwardly in his lap and took her arm gently in his hands. Before he even saw the little red patch of skin on her forearm, he could feel the heat emanating from the little key. Very carefully, he closed his thumb and index finger around its slim metal body. He jerked his hand back automatically, his fingers stinging with pain.

"Are you alright?" he asked, trying his best not to sound frightened.

"Get it off of me," she pleaded, burying her face in his neck.

"Okay, just—Touko, did you bring that in with you?"

"Bring what in?" she asked, lifting her head up.

Sitting just inside the tent was a small brown package tied shut with pieces of white twine. Placed neatly on top of it was a little card bearing the words "Plasma King N" in neatly scrolled letters. He scooped Touko up and set her down on her now disheveled sleeping bag. They both stared at the innocent looking little box in silence, neither wanting to open it. After several minutes of contemplation, N stood up and walked over to it, gingerly picking up the little card atop it.

"What does it say?" Touko asked, dreading the answer.

N cleared his throat and turned towards her. He looked completely and utterly furious. "'I told you she'd be more willing after I loosened her up a bit. Now, get some, Your Highness'," he repeated, his voice full of hatred. "'Love, Blayre'." He crumpled the note in his fingers and threw it disgustedly at the ground. He turned back to the box, wondering what awaited him inside of it.


	16. Chapter 16

Blayre sat down at the elegant cherry wood table. He took a few idle drags on his cigarette as he gazed at people walking past him over the top of his sunglasses. Judging from the strange stares he was receiving, he guessed that he looked rather out of place. He smiled as he realized that he was, in fact, overdressed compared to the inhabitants of Fortree City.

All the natives were sporting heavy hiking boots and shorts. He regretted having worn such fine leather shoes in the forest, but such clunky, unnuanced boots weren't really his thing. He doubted they would have worked well with his suit anyway. He sighed as he picked the caked on mud off his loafers; they'd have to be cleaned before he could wear them out again.

He snuffed out his cigarette on the table, leaving a light burn mark on its mirror polished surface. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, ignoring the nasty looks people were giving him over defacing a piece of their town. He was still so exhausted from last night that he could barely stay awake; the only thing that kept him conscious was the stomach turning pain emanating from his side. He clutched it softly, rubbing it gently to ease the pain.

As he felt the bandage pull on his stitches, his mind was filled with N's smirking, cocky face. He dug his fingers into his side as he tried to choke back his rage; he cursed loudly as he felt his wound burn with renewed vigor.

_Stupid bastard. I'll gut him if it's the last thing I do_, he thought, smiling wildly at the thought. _And then I'll…I'll…_

He stopped himself, forbidding himself to continue luxuriating in that possibility. She probably hated him anyway, so what was the point in wasting thoughts on her? But why was it so hard to forget her face? Seeing her roll around in the tent with him had made him sick to his stomach. Never before had he wanted to kill anyone as badly as he wanted to kill N at that moment. He should have been the one to make her trembled with desire, not him.

He pulled out his cell phone and opened up a new text message, tired of being bothered by such idiotic, childish thoughts.

_Sister_, he typed, _it is delivered. All has gone well, so, if you do not require my services at the moment, I think I am going to stay in the region for the night_.

He hit the send button and switched off his phone before she had a chance to object to his 'request'. There wasn't a Vanillite's chance in Hell he was going to show up for that party. The only person who would actually miss him was Atreyu, but he was old enough now to understand that Blayre hated being the center of attention. Birthday parties were no exception to this rule; he hadn't had one since he was ten years old.

The air was cool that October night; it left a chill on his skin much like the one that clung to it now. It had tasted of the exotic spices of a faraway land, no doubt spilling out from the kitchen as his birthday meal was prepared. As he stood on his balcony, surveying the herds of Milktanks and the sprawling cherry orchards below, the smell of saffron drifted up to him like a thick, fragrant cloud; it was so thick, he could have sworn he could have caught it in his hands.

"Blayre, Darling, your guests are arriving!" his mother called from his open door.

He sighed; he hated going to parties. He hadn't even wanted one, but Noah had insisted that there be a celebration; it was tradition, after all, and mother had never been able to say no to her. He put his hand on his stomach and rubbed it gently, hoping that it would calm his nerves. The very thought of having to be the center of attention turned his stomach to rot.

"Coming, Mommy," he called as he straightened his tie. Everyone was sure to give him a hard time for wearing a suit on this day, but he couldn't help himself. It was what he felt most comfortable in.

He took a final look at the orchards; the glossy leaves of the trees were painted with the soft pink and orange glow of the setting sun, making them glitter like fire. On the horizon line, he could see the border of his family's estate; he remembered Mistress had called it the Cave of Legends once, but everyone else in the family called it the Dragon's Nest. It made him uneasy to gaze at its impressive height and sheer rock cliffs; the thought of having to go there tomorrow made his already unsettled stomach burn with anxiety.

"Swa blu?" a bright voice inquired next to his ear.

Blayre turned to see his Swablu hovering next to him, gazing out at the horizon with curious eyes. "You scared me, Artemis," Blayre said brightly, holding his arm out for his Pokémon to perch on.

The tiny, blue bird-like Pokémon landed gracefully on his forearm and hopped excitedly on to his shoulder. "Swa blu blu!" it cried, rubbing its fluffy, cloud-like wings on Blayre's cheek. "Swa!" It wrapped its wing around Blayre's head so that he could see the dirt she had just cleaned off of his face.

"Sorry," he said, giggling at her irritation. "I must have gotten dirty when me and Sissy were playing tag."

"Swablu," Artemis snorted as she tried to clean off her cottony wing.

He rolled his eyes at her melodrama and, with as much courage as he could muster, pushed open his bedroom door. The long corridor that led to his room was in the process of being redecorated. The black mourning curtains were finally being taken down and replaced with simple beige cotton drapes; he could hardly believe it had been a year since his grandmother had died. His home had been thrown into such turmoil during her mourning period that it seemed as if the flow of time had sped up. Everywhere there was the hustle of people trying to take care of the family's business; an aria of arguments could be heard everywhere he went on the estate as the adults bickered senselessly about what decision should be made.

Finally, it was all about to come to an end. Tomorrow evening, he and his twin sister, Noah, were to be presented to the Great Dragon. If he had been an only child, he would have become head of the family by default; technically, he was still entitled to be head of the family as he was born before his sister. He, however, didn't mind leaving the decision up to a dragon; the thought of having to run a family as large and complicated as his made him feel dizzy. As he passed the servants, his shoes clicking brightly on the freshly polished white marble floors, he could feel their eyes boring into him. He blushed brightly as he caught pieces of their whispered conversations; hearing words like "Prince" and "Master" in reference to himself made him feel incredibly awkward.

"There you are! I was afraid I'd have to drag you out of your room kicking and screaming," his mother teased as they descended the stair case together.

He placed his tiny hand in hers as they made their way down to the expansive dining area below; he cringed a bit as he felt the cool satin band of her key rub against his wrist. He stole a glance at her face, hoping to gauge her reaction to his fear of her key. She had looked so old to him then, but she was no more than thirty. Her hair was still as radiantly blonde as it had always been; her pale, creamy skin had hardly been marred by the cruel hands of time. Her hazel eyes were as warm as ever as she smiled down at him; just thinking of the love she had for him in her eyes was enough to make him feel comforted, even now.

"It won't zap you," she said gently. "It only does that to bad people."

"How come it shocked Noah yesterday?" Blayre asked curiously.

"Because she was trying to steal it from me," she said flatly.

"But why…?"

"Happy birthday, Blayre!" his uncle chimed as he pulled him into a tight hug.

"Uncle Damien, I can't breathe," Blayre choked, squirming as best as he could to get out of his uncle's grasp. Artemis hovered near Blayre protectively, flapping her wings at his attacker in irritation.

"Oh, sorry, my boy!" he said cheerfully as he relinquished his hold on the child. "I guess I should be a little more careful with the next head of the family, eh? I wouldn't want to end up outcasted because of a bear hug!"

Blayre blushed furiously as his uncle continued to dote upon him; he stood in humiliated silence while his uncle regaled a small crowd of his distant relatives with the tale of Blayre's birth. Standing sourly in the far corner of the massive and crowded room was Noah. She was dressed in a frilly purple dress that, from the look on her face, she obviously detested. She stared blankly at her brother, as though she weren't really seeing him, as she listened to her uncle describe the moment she was born: "And then Noah came."

Blayre could see the muscles in her jaw tighten; she was grinding her teeth again. He wanted to run to her side and comfort her as he always did when she was having one of her fits. Before he could break away from the crowd, he had been swept up into another suffocating hug. He peered over the shoulder of his assailant, searching desperately for his sister, but it was to no avail; she had slipped out of the room completely unnoticed.

Everything faded to black after that; it was as if a thin veil had fallen between him and the outside world. He was impossibly light now; his movements were easy and fluid. All the senses in his body had been numbed, making his head feel…nothing. He didn't think or experience anything; he just was.

As suddenly as the curtain of numbness had fallen, it receded. Everything was different now; he wasn't at home anymore. It was dark here and bone chillingly cold. He heard a soft rustling next to him; hesitantly, he turned his head to the side. Next to him was his twin sister; she had a look out utter amazement on her face and her eyes, which were normally cold and distant, were child-like and joyous.

Blayre's mind reverberated with the sound of that booming voice. Terrified, he fell to the ground and pulled his hands to his ears. Noah stood beside him, her legs shaking beneath her as she gazed deeply into the great dragon's eyes. Her brilliant, bright blue eyes were wide with fear and wonder as she held the dragon's stare.

_You are the elder of the set_, the dragon whispered in his mind. _Why do you cower before me? Do you come to me with fear in your heart?_

"N-n-no," Blayre sputtered, his body shaking from the strange echoing in his mind. It seemed to reverberate throughout his whole body and into his bones.

_I can see inside of your mind, so don't bother lying to me. You have much fear in you, Child; it is a quality I detest with all my being. But there is also great ambition in your heart. You may tremble at my feet like a little worm now, but, if cultivated properly, you could grow into a great man_.

Without warning the great dragon spread its wings wide and threw its head back, letting out a mighty roar. Noah collapsed to her knees, her right hand extended toward the legend. Hesitantly, she crawled forward until she and the dragon were only a foot apart. Blayre could feel the air grow colder as the dragon flapped its icy wings nervously as it bent its head down towards his sister.

Gently, it nudged her tiny outstretched hand with its massive, scaly snout. Instantly she burst into tears, her sobs echoing off the high walls of the cave. The dragon turned to retreat back into its nest, tired of being bothered with such trifling matters. Noah lied helplessly on the ground before his feet, crying uncontrollable tears of joy. Her little white dress was stained and caked with mud and dirt from the floor of the cave, but in her ecstasy she didn't even notice; she was now pure white, no matter how dirty her body was.

As the dragon retreated into the darkness, Blayre could feel the connection that had been ripped open in his mind being sewn back shut. He closed his eyes in relief, removing his tiny hands from his ears. He could still feel the presence of the dragon gnawing at the back of his mind, but it was growing weaker by the second.

_I'm sorry, Child. Your sister is…something I've never encountered before. Be brave, Blayre; you will need much courage to walk the path that is laid out in front of you. Do not falter from it; you will be needed in the end_.

With those final words, the link between Blayre and the dragon was completely severed. He took a few deep breaths and wiped the tear stains from his cheeks. Light filtered in through a gap in the cave's ceiling; slowly, it chased away the chill that the dragon had left on his skin. Feeling rejuvenated, he opened his eyes and rose to his feet. His sister was still on the ground but her tears had stopped. He could see her trying to push herself to her feet, but her legs were still too weak to hold her up.

"Carry me," she commanded.

"As if," Blayre spat. "Drag your own butt back home."

"Blayre, carry me home _now_," she hissed.

Her sweet, lyrical voice was like a knife to his ears. It stuck in them, twisting and drilling into his brain. He could feel his muscles twitch sporadically in his arms and legs, as though they were being connected to some invisible circuitry. Suddenly, his feet moved forward against his will. He fought the motion with all his might, but it was no use; his muscles were no longer under his control. As he reached his sister, he could make out a sinister little smile on her lips.

"What is this?" he cried as he kneeled down and scooped her up in his arms. "What are you doing to me, Noah?"

She took his face in her hands and looked into his eyes. Her gaze was flat and cold, chilling him deeper than the wind of the Great Dragon, but behind them he could sense fire. She gently stroked his cheek with her fingers like she did when she comforted him after one of his temper tantrums. She pressed the cool gold of her newly bestowed key to his cheek for a moment, just holding it there; she pulled it away softly, tracing the shapes the amethysts had left in his skin.

Roughly, she pulled his face toward hers so that they were only inches apart from each other. Without warning, she spit in his face. He could feel her saliva cling to his skin, dripping down it in sickening globs. He wanted desperately to drop her on the floor and wipe his face off, but again he was powerless over his own body.

"How does it feel, Brother, to be the one who is spat upon?" she whispered, unable to keep the joy she felt in her soul from seeping into her voice. "Ah, that look; I'm going to treasure it for the rest of my life! I never want to forget the moment you realized that I own you."

Blayre's eyes popped open, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. He was surrounded by darkness on all sides.

_Am I back in the Dragon's Nest?_he wondered groggily.

"Mister, are you okay?" a soft, high-pitched voice asked.

"Hmmm?" he groaned dully. _How long was I asleep?_

"You've been sitting out here all day. Don't you have a place to stay for the night?"

"It's evening already?" he asked incredulously. He pulled his sunglasses off his eyes, allowing them to adjust to the dim light. The darkness he had felt trapped in a moment ago had simply been the combination of his glass's tint and the dying light of day.

"Yes, sir; it's nearly nine. My mother sent me over to offer you a room at our inn. We have very comfortable beds."

Blayre sat up straight, his back aching from having been hunched over for so long, and rubbed his eyes. A little giggle found his ears, making him turn his head to see who it was that had woken him up. A girl, no older than eight, stood next to him; she had her hands over her mouth, trying to stifle back her laughter.

"What's so funny?" he asked, arching his eyebrow playfully at her.

"You're dressed silly," she giggled.

"Am I now?" he asked as he clumsily labored to his feet. "That's not a very nice thing to say, you know. What's your name?"

"Annabelle," she said brightly.

"Hi, Annabelle. I'm Travis. Do you think it'd be okay if I stayed at your hotel, even if I am dressed 'funny'?"

"Sure!" she squealed delightedly. "Mommy will be so happy that we have a guest."

He held out his hand to the girl, who hesitantly placed her tiny, delicate hand in his. She immediately began pulling him along the vast network of suspension bridges that connected the treetop houses that comprised the little city. She babbled to him excitedly about everything they passed; he had never heard a child speak faster than her. Her high-pitched voice soon became a blur, her words blending together in her hasty excitement. Atreyu would chatter at him like this when he was little, so Blayre was extremely skilled at tuning it out.

A gentle breeze shook the leafy boughs of the canopy of branches above their heads. He dragged his fingers along the trunks of the massive trees the city was built around; his fingertips tingled in delight as he stroked the scratchy surface of their bark. Everywhere he looked, there was forest; they were surrounded on all sides by ancient, beautiful trees.

_Some_, he thought, _must be as old as Hoenn itself_.

He inhaled deeply, his lungs ballooning with the clean, fresh forest air. He stopped for a moment, gazing at the full moon through a break in the trees. He stared at it, transfixed by the bright golden glow. All that filled his mind as he stared up at the unattainable orb was the citrines on his mother's key; they had always seemed to glow with their own light, like tiny stars. He had never really appreciated their beauty until she had died and they stopped glittering.

_Maybe they were always outshined by her eyes—ugh, why am I so emotional today? First I go and write a childish little taunt to N out of jealousy and then I go and have some stupid stress dream. Now I miss my mommy? I need a drink_.

"Dontcha think, Travis?" Annabelle chimed brightly.

"I'm sorry, what did you say, Princess?" he asked, turning on all his charm. It always worked, even on miniature women. He felt a little creepy using it on a kid, but if it got him out of trouble for not listening, it didn't matter.

"That girl sure looks happy. Wow, look how pretty she is! I bet thatsheis…"

Annabelle was chattering again, but that wasn't what made Blayre's attention falter. Lying on a separate walkway, gazing up at the stars, was Touko and N. N was pointing erratically to several stars, a broad smile plastered across his face as he recited some obscure myth to Touko.

_God, he's like a child. What could she possibly find attractive about him?_

Blayre grimaced as he saw the positively blissful look on her face; she was actually enjoying his boring, antiquated story. Her bright, cheerful laughter peeled out high and clear like a bell. He watched as N cupped his hands on her cheeks and pulled her into a gentle, sweet kiss. He felt as if someone had stabbed him in the stomach and twisted the blade into his organs for good measure. He could feel the bile rising in him as he watched her wrap her arms around his waist and snuggle into his chest. She pulled his left hand onto his chest and stared at his thumb in fascination, pushing the little platinum ring that now rested on it idly. The spherical diamond mounted in it sparkled in her eyes like a disco ball.

"Travis, come onnnn! We're almost there!" Annabelle whined, yanking on his hand impatiently.

"Oh, sorry. I was just looking at the stars," Blayre said weakly, allowing himself to be led forward. _She's nothing to me. I couldn't care less who she has…_He couldn't bring himself to finish the thought. _Oh, shit_.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N-Okay, so, wow, this chapter is LONG. Like super long. When I originally posted this on Deviantart, I broke it up into two sections. So, you may want to stop where I put the divider in and come back to the second half later if you find yourself getting tired of reading or just short on time. I recommend reading it in one sitting because parts of the second half are meant to mirror the first half.

* * *

><p>N sat on the floor of his room, idly rearranging the plastic pieces of the little railway that circled him. This toy no longer held the fascination it had the day he had received it all those years ago. He snapped in the final piece of the track with his still boyish hands and stood up to appraise this new path. He added several complicated loops and switches for his train to navigate, but he was still unmoved by this game. It never mattered how much he altered the track; the train always just chugged along, making lap after lap, forever stuck in a state of arrested development.<p>

As he watched the glossy, cherry red little engine trace the shape of his new track, he caught his reflection in its rounded side. He touched his hand to his cheek, prodding it irately as he watched his reflection distort as the toy train inched past him. Annoyed, he crossed his arms across his chest and sat down on the floor, his back to the whistling engine.

_How long have I been rooted to this spot? Day after day, I sit back and watch the world spin past me_. He put his hand on temple and rubbed it, his skin tugging uncomfortably on the rest of his face. _The only thing that ever changes is my reflection_.

He fell back on to the track and closed his eyes. _I'm too old to be playing these baby games, anyway_. He sighed as the little train bumped into his side insistently, trying in vain to tunnel through him. He picked it up and, without a second thought or any hesitation, tossed it across the room.

"That's no way to treat your things, N," a gentle, light voice called.

"I have no use for it any longer. It bores me, just like everything else here, Concordia. Besides, I'm too old to be playing with it anymore."

"Then why do you continue to use this room if everything in it is so distasteful?"

He sighed and sat up, slouching forward under the weight of his angst. "Where else should I fritter away the hours? I've already read all the books in the library twice."

"Oh, Lord N," she sighed as she sat on the ground next to him. "You have been so unhappy lately. Anthea and I have been worried sick over you. What is troubling you?" she asked gently, putting her hand softly on his shoulder.

"I am tired, so very tired…of everything," he said dully. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes as she squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. Hastily, he shoved her hand off of him and stood up. "Leave me; I want to rest," he said coldly.

"Yes, Master," she said weakly as she withdrew from the room. She hesitated for a moment before crossing the threshold. "I know that it is not my place to tell you this, My Lord, but—"

"Then do not say it," N interjected, his voice flat and unapologetic.

"As you wish, Lord N. Forgive me," she whispered as she closed the heavy, ornate door. She leaned against it and closed her eyes, fighting back her tears. She knew that there was no way he'd hear her through the thick wood of the door, so she spoke freely. "I promise it'll all seem better…in time."

N sighed as he heard her footsteps grow faint. He immediately regretted having been so short with her, adding to his dark mood. He stalked over to his pile of plush toys and picked up his old Chansey doll. He leaned against the wall and hugged the raggedy old plushy to his chest; how he longed for the time when such a simple action solved all of his problems. Those days had passed and, though he clung desperately to them, they were never coming back.

He slid down the wall and hugged his knees to his body. _I'm so used to being fixed in space that I can't handle the flow of time. I want nothing more than to leave this place behind and yet I am incapable of bearing growing up. I'm just like that train; I moved forward in time, but I never go anywhere. I shouldn't even try to jump the track; I'd just end up derailed_.

_What are you thinking about so hard, N? I think I can smell your hair burning_.

"Very funny, Zorua," N grumbled. "Where were you hiding? I've been looking for you all morning."

_I was outside playing with some of the wild Pokémon_.

"Oh," he said flatly. "Did you have fun out there?"

_Oh, yes! I made lots of new friends. I told them all about you; they're very excited to meet you. One even told me a new riddle. Would you like to hear it?_

"Of course," N said, stretching out his legs. The black and red fox-like Pokémon hopped into his lap and curled up.

_What can be swallowed, but can also swallow you?_

"That is a tough one, but I think I know the answer. Is it—"

"N," a deep, smooth voice called out.

He scooped Zorua up into his arms and held him firmly to his chest. The little Pokémon squirmed in his arms uncomfortably, whining about his grip, but he was oblivious to its complaints; he felt as though his heart were about to stop.

"Yes, Ghetsis," he replied calmly, his voice steady and clear; after years of practice, he was quite adapt at hiding his emotions in front of his father.

"Is that how you greet your father? Stand up, Boy," he commanded as he walked toward his son.

"Yes, Sir," he said as he scrambled to his feet.

"Send him out; I need to have a word with you in private. I can't have you getting distracted," Ghetsis said flatly.

N nodded and sat Zorua down gently on the ground. The little Pokémon sat on the floor deliberately, refusing to leave his friend behind; he knew all too well what it meant when N and Ghetsis had private conversations.

"Come on, Zorua, you need to go for now."

_I won't go, N. I can't let this happen to you again_.

"Go on; I'll play with you later," he said brightly, giving the little fox a gentle nudge with his foot. His heart was pounding so hard that it was making him nauseous and dizzy. "I'll miss you too, but it's only for a little while. I'll be fine without you; I always am," he added as he gave Zorua another little push with his foot.

The Pokémon looked up at his friend knowingly and bowed his head. Reluctantly, he rose to his feet and trotted out of the room. N swallowed lightly, hoping that the physical act would somehow help him choke back his ever mounting fear. His relaxed posture and dull, flat stare belied his true emotions; on the outside, he was a thirteen year old boy, proud and unafraid of anything, but inside he was still a weak, frightened child clinging to his Chansey doll.

"What's this that I hear about you being in a bad humor lately?" Ghetsis asked.

"I'm sure whatever has reached your ears has been greatly exaggerated. You know how dramatic some of the grunts are when it comes to me. I'm just a little tired. I stayed up far too late this week charting stars," N lied smoothly.

His father chuckled bitterly, his bizarre red eyes fixed on his son. "Do you think I'm stupid, Boy?" he asked quietly, his voice as inviting as a knife.

"No."

"Then why do you lie to me?"

"Father, I assure you that I'm—"

The back of his father's hand came down across his cheek with an explosive force, causing him to stagger backward beneath the sheer force of the strike. As they stood there in silence, both just staring at the other, N could feel his face swelling already; his eye felt crowded in its socket from the pressure, making it water up all the more. He didn't dare raise his hand to inspect the damage done to his face; he could already feel blood oozing from the little cuts left in his face from his father's thumb ring anyway.

"Such lies, N," Ghetsis hissed.

N's eyes dropped to floor as he tried to keep his composure. It had been years since he had allowed himself to cry in front of his father; he wasn't in any mood to start again today.

"Look at me," he commanded, closing his hand roughly around N's chin.

He knew it was a stupid thing to do, but he couldn't help himself. He had been pushed to his limit today. Defiantly, he raised his head up before his father could yank it up as he normally did and held his gaze. Whether out of pure shock or rage—he was never sure which—his father released his grip on his chin.

"Do not forget your place, N," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"My place?" N repeated, a sick, desperate laugh escaping his lips. "How could I forget it? I have been affixed there since the day I was born."

"Stop this—"

"No! You will listen to me now," N spat, his hands clenched. "You want to know why I'm unhappy? Look around you!" he said, gesturing widely with his arms. "I despise this place; every day is the same as the one that came before it. All the Pokémon you bring me are so miserable; it breaks my heart to know that while I sit in luxury, my every whim entertained, they suffer. Wouldn't our goals be accomplished quicker if I were to leave with you?"

"What could you do that I couldn't?" his father scoffed. "Besides, you are little more than a child. You'd just get in my way."

"Ghetsis, I…I'm better than you think I am. I'm valuable; I am certainly above being kept in a cage."

His father's laughter pierced his heart like a dagger. "What useless pride," Ghetsis chuckled, wrapping his hand around his son's fragile neck. "I suppose it'll be my job to dispatch of it."

* * *

><p>N's eyes fluttered open, his heart thudding uncomfortably fast against his ribs. He took a deep steadying breath as he reoriented himself to reality. His hands inspected his neck thoroughly, checking to make sure that those vice-like claws of his memory were left behind in the realm of sleep. As his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness of the little hotel room, he noticed that Touko, who was usually awake long before him, was still resting beside him.<p>

N sat up and rubbed his still sleep-laden eyes. He felt utterly exhausted, both in body and mind. The weak light filtering in through the curtains was still a dull, washed-out shade of grey. He sighed, realizing that the sun was still an hour or so away from rising. He stretched out his arms and yawned, his head still buzzing with the discord of his memories.

_I envy her so much_, he thought, gazing at Touko through sleepy eyes. _She is still able to sleep so soundly after all that has happened to her. I guess it's easy when you push away all your problems. I should know._

He didn't mind her denial in the slightest; sometimes, it was utterly refreshing compared to his outlook on reality. Since they hadn't been contacted by Blayre or anyone involved with N.G.S. in the past month, it was easy to see how Touko felt secure in her safety, in the normalcy of her life. N, however, was far too seasoned in the pitfalls of life to ever accept that whatever they had stumbled into was even close to being resolved.

_Are all normal people this resilient or is it just her?_ he wondered. _I doubt someone as jaded as me could ever understand how regular people function. I barely understand the simple things about humans—I mean, other people…or do I mean humans? Can I really count myself in the same group as someone as adept as her? I don't really think so._

He slung his feet over the side of the bed, his toes luxuriating in the plush carpet, and slouched forward under the weight of his thoughts. He cradled his head in his hands, idly playing with a particularly unruly piece of his hair, and tried to shake off the lingering dread his memory had left him with. This was the fourth time this week that he had such a vivid recollection of his childhood.

_I'm fine with all my memories_, he told himself. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit in frustration, unsure of whether he believed this lie anymore. He had worked so hard to let this falsehood define who he was, it was immensely painful to try to see himself in any other way. Reliving those moments that he had so skillfully locked was as easy as taking a knife to the stomach; they had festered inside of him for so long that draining the rankling sores was nearly impossible. It was amazing to him that, after all this time, such old wounds could still burn as if they were freshly made. _Maybe they will never heal properly_.

As he began listing off prime numbers in his head, something he had done for years to calm his mind, he felt an odd chill on his cheek. From the corner of his eye, he could see the odd ring that now resided on his left thumb. It was unlike any ring he had seen before and, though he had had an entire month to get used to its bizarre appearance, it was still unsettling to behold.

The platinum band was plain; it bore no etchings or any other discernable designs on it. Rising out of the center of the well-polished band was a spherical diamond. It was different from every diamond N had ever seen before in his life; most of the jewels his father wore had been cut in elaborate and regal shapes. He wasn't even sure if it was an actual diamond. This gem looked as though it had never been touched by human hands; it was a seamless, smooth, continuous orb that could easily be mistaken for a very clear marble.

As the odd little stone pressed against him cheek, his mind was flooded with the sensation of his face being torn into by the rough gems of his father's ring. Instinctively, his hand shot up to his cheek to inspect the damage. He could feel moisture clinging to his fingertips like dew to grass. He held his hand up to his eyes, fully expecting to see the familiar crimson liquid that came after such a strike. Instead, his eyes were greeted by the sight of thin, crystalline tears trailing down his long fingers.

_Crying at my age_, he thought bitterly. _I'm a grown man who still weeps like a child—how pathetic. You're alright, so stop…just stop. Two, three, five, seven, eleven, thirteen…_He tapped his thumb against his face in time with his counting, the little orb cold like ice against his skin. _As strange as that diamond is, at least it won't cut my face up_, he thought humorously.

N shifted awkwardly, trying his best to not disturb Touko, and pulled a folded piece of paper from his pants pocket; he had been so exhausted when they arrived the previous night that he had fallen asleep in his clothes. His nimble fingers unriddled the intricately folded note with ease. He held it up to the faint morning light that filtered in through a gap in the curtains. His emerald eyes scanned the beautifully scribed words for what was likely the thousandth time in the past month, hoping that it would take his mind off of his past.

_To Mr. N Harmonia:_

I am pleased to see that you have obeyed my last request. I'm sure Miss Touko is finding wearing the key an enriching experience; I am told by my emissary that it suits her very well. I have another request to make of you which I hope you will comply with. I ask that you, Mr. Harmonia, wear this ring at all times. Please, do not do so lightly for this ring has been in the possession of my family since antiquity. If you chose to obey my command—which I am almost certain you will, since you now know the lengths to which I am willing to go to get your attention—I'm confident you will not regret accepting this particular gift into your life.

Watching over you always,

N.G.S.

P.S.—I have read that it is customary for kings to wear a ring on one of their thumbs. I imagine that the ring would look lovely upon yours.

He stared blankly at the last line of the note, his stomach feeling as though it had turned to rot. The idea of this N.G.S. person finding anything about him lovely was repulsive, regardless of whether or not they were male or female. After seeing what this person ordered their subordinate to do to an innocent Pokémon—let alone what their subordinate had done to Touko-the only thing N felt for N.G.S. was hatred.

_Blayre_, N thought, his mind full of poison. _I wonder what you are up to out there. If we ever meet again, it'll be too soon_.

The images of Blayre's hands caked in the blood of the mangled Seel flooded N's mind. His long, delicate fingers had closed so easily around Touko's neck. Those manic, bright blue eyes had shone with such delight as he toyed with him in the moments before he had stolen that kiss from Touko. N could feel the bile rising up inside him as he envisioned that crude, perverted embrace; involuntarily, he clenched his hands into fists, his face turning a light shade of red.

He rose to his feet and stomped to the window, his mind now preoccupied with what he would do to Blayre if Touko didn't beat him to it first. He pulled back the curtains slowly, allowing his eyes some time to adjust to the dim morning light, and gazed out at the already bustling city below. The sun hadn't even raised its head and yet already there was the buzz of people going about their lives.

Even from his high perch, N felt as though he were being encroached upon by everyone in Lilycove City. Large cities were never really his thing to begin with; so many people in such a small space made him incredibly nervous. He had barely made it through Castelia City and Nimbasa City; he had to, on several occasions, sit down in secluded areas to recover his nerves.

It wasn't the fact that there were so many people that bothered him. In fact, he loved the company of other people; he had, after all, longed for it all his life. It was the irrational fear that, even though these people had never seen him before and were likely to never see him again, they would somehow be able to sense that he didn't belong amongst them. He felt like his irregularities were written on him as plainly as a sentence in a book, just waiting to be read by anyone and everyone he encountered.

_As if having an odd hair color doesn't make you stick out enough_, he thought, sighing as he watched the business men walking below. _I could never be one of those men. Even if I could, would I really be satisfied with that mundane of a life? A prince—no, a king—can never be a commoner. I was meant to be up here, locked away in my tower, watching the world spin beneath me_.

_But, if this is where I belong, then why do I feel this intense jealousy for every one of those humans—I mean, people?_ Hastily, he shut the curtains, blocking out the outside world as quickly as he possibly could. A thin layer of sweat clung to his furrowed brow as he attempted to normalize his breathing. _If I'm really one of them, then I should be able to walk among them_.

As quietly as he possibly could, N changed his clothing and slipped on his well-loved pair of green sneakers. Touko had tried numerous times to convince him to buy new ones, but he refused. These shoes had taken him further than he had ever imagined he would travel from his castle; to part with them now would feel like a heinous act of betrayal on his part. He took his hair out from the loose pony tail he normally wore it in and ran his fingers through it a few times, crudely combing out the major tangles before tying it back up again.

After checking his reflection in the mirror, he grabbed a piece of hotel stationary and scribbled out a quick note to Touko.

_Touko,_

Going out for a walk; took your xtransceiver. Do not hesitate to contact me if any problem should arise.

Be back soon.

-N.

He laid the note down on his pillow, gazing at Touko one last time before he left. This was the one time of day when she wasn't being sarcastic and playful; he could just admire her without her giving him a hard time about it. Her long, chocolaty hair framed her sweet, serene face perfectly. N leaned over her and very gently tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, planting a soft, tender kiss on her temple.

He was out the door silently. He made his way to the foyer of the hotel easily, his thoughts still centered on Touko's face. As he made his way through the lobby of the expansive and garish hotel, he couldn't help but feel a little bit hesitant to leave her behind. Even if they hadn't been troubled by anyone this past month, he still worried about her constantly. She was the one person on the planet who he had ever trusted enough to open himself up to.

_If she ever gets hurt because of my negligence again, I—_

_What would you do?_a soft, airy voice inquired.

N stopped in mid stride, his heart sputtering feebly in his chest. He had definitely heard it that time, no mistaking it. The echo of that bizarre, ethereal voice was still reverberating in his mind as he stood, hand clutched to his chest, on the threshold of the entrance door. He tried to calm himself; after all, this wasn't the first time he had been communicated with in this way. He and Reshiram preferred to converse this way, even with N's gift.

In order to communicate with Reshiram, N had forged an unbreakable bond between the two of them. It was more than that, really. Their bonding was preordained; each was made to choose the other. But, this…this was not the same. This odd voice that so easily permeated his mind, that had somehow let itself in, had a distinctly devious intent hidden in its silken tone. It spoke to him often in times of weakness or confusion, always egging him on into negative, black thoughts. He dared not speak of it to anyone, not even Touko, but this had been going on for nearly three weeks now.

"Excuse me, Sir, but is everything alright? You look unwell," called the concierge from the front desk. "Should I call a doctor for you?"

Realizing that he was now clutching his hands to his chest as though he were having a heart attack, N stiffened his posture and hastily tried to compose himself into some facsimile of a normal person. He flattened down his now extremely ruffled and disheveled shirt and stuffed his hands into his pants pockets, adopting the posture and stance he had observed so many men his age to have.

"I'm fine, thank you. There's no need to worry," he answered, wincing slightly as his panicked breath made his voice crack. "I-I-I'm not accustomed to b-b-big cities. I t-t-tend to be a little nervous around t-too many people." He wanted to die right then and there as his nervous stutter took over his speech. He hadn't done it in so long that is was now blaringly apparent to his ears.

"Well, then, Sir, I recommend that you stay away from the downtown area for today. There is a large festival taking place there to commemorate the founding of the city. It draws quite the crowd."

"Ah, I see. T-thank you for the wa-warning," N replied, placing his hand once again on the large door pull.

"One more thing, Sir!" the concierge called. "If you don't particularly enjoy the city, there are some lovely hiking trails near the beach. They offer some truly breathtaking views of the sea. They can be accessed from the main street. I can give you a trail map, if you like."

"Oh, uh, yes. Thank you," he said, walking to the front desk and retrieving the proffered map.

Pushing open the grand, heavy door, N emerged onto the bustling, cramped sidewalk of Lilycove City's tourism district. It was easy to identify his fellow tourists; most were dressed in bright, tropical shirts, clearly not anticipating the cool breeze that blew off the sea. Dressed as always in neutral colors and long sleeves, he blended in with the locals almost seamlessly; his only tell was the lost look on his face as he attempted to navigate the many twists and turns of the seemingly endless sidewalk.

The pathway had, mercifully, emptied out considerably; the morning rush had finally ended, the last of the straggling, sleep-weary businessmen trailed into their offices as N meandered passed the gargantuan sky scrapers. As he watched the workers file into them methodically, he couldn't help but be reminded of giant filing cabinets. Even with the absence of the commuters, there were still enough people on the streets for N to be jostled and pushed.

_It's alright; everything is going to be alright_, he told himself as he bumped into yet another person. _Nobody is staring. It's just your imagination_.

But it wasn't. The eyes of almost everyone he passed landed on him, their curiosity about his long green hair and odd mannerisms shining brightly on their faces. He felt as if those monstrously tall buildings were crowding in upon him, closing out the sky. His breathing quickened and he could hear the pounding of his heart over thudding of his now heavy and hasty footsteps on the pavement. Everything was closing in on him, pressuring him from all sides, threatening to swallow him up.

The voices around him began to swirl and blend, creating a gruesome symphony of warped tones and discordant melodies. The cacophony seemed to hang in the air around him, to inhabit every breath he took. It filled his already troubled mind with further disease. As the plaguing song floated through him, pulling him ever forward like the lilting voice of a siren calling to a sailor, there arose the quiet, enchanting voice he had tried to deny for so long.

_Still think you're better than anyone, King? The world is on the verge of swallowing you whole while you wriggle helplessly like a bug pinned to a board. Wouldn't it be easier to just swallow that vanity of yours and admit defeat? Go home, where you are needed; you can live comfortably again, hidden away from all this chaos and ugliness_.

His mind spun as he now practically jogged along, pushing people out of his way without even a second thought. In truth, he had thought of returning to his castle many times; he hoped that, perhaps now that his father was gone, he would find peace there. The blemish of the sad, long hours of isolation he had been forced to endure, however, couldn't be so easily remedied; it plagued all of the thoughts he wasted on that place. No, he would likely never return.

Aside from the painful memories of that haunted castle, he had found another reason to linger in this strange new world. Touko, though sometimes naively optimistic and extremely stubborn, had to be one of the kindest, loveliest, most intelligent, and beautiful people on the planet. She had befriended him despite his…oddities and, for some unfathomable reason, she had remained by his side all this time. To leave her behind now after having a taste of just how sweet life with her could be, to return to those long hours of silence and solitude, would be unbearable.

_You only serve as an anchor for her. She stands by you now, but what will she do when she really comes to understand just how freakish and bizarre you truly are?_

"Shut up!" he shouted, grabbing his ears in hopes of blocking out that disparaging voice that so easily dug its claws into his heart.

It was at this moment that he realized he was no longer in the city. His legs stung, his muscles burning from the strain of running a great distance. He collapsed, utterly spent, on the grassy ground beneath him. As his vision realigned with reality, the nightmarish memory of the towering buildings receding from his eyes, he realized that he had inadvertently ended up where he had meant to go.

His weary lungs ballooned with the salty air of the sea, filling him with a much welcomed sense of openness. The rumble and rush of water breaking against the cliff on which he now found himself seated was like a gentle lullaby. It drowned out all sounds of the city he had left in the distance, making N feel as though he had visited that place in some faraway dream. After giving himself some time to regain his composure, he shifted his body to allow for a better view of the sea.

He sat there, gazing out at the calm blue waters, for a very long time. His thoughts drifted as idly and fruitlessly as the few little wisps of clouds that dared to streak the mid-morning sky. He fiddled with his void cube, not really paying any attention to his moves or the time it took to arrange the pieces properly; such simple puzzles no longer held his interest.

He pulled a Pokeball from his pocket and released Zoroark, his best friend and confidant in most matters. The lupine Pokémon stretched out for a moment, enjoying the taste of the fresh sea air, before coming to sit next to N. Zoroark keened in a low imploring voice and bumped his snout against N's cheek.

_What's the matter, N?_Zoroark asked, his voice full of concern. He let his head lull to the side a bit, letting it come to a rest on N's shoulder.

"It seems," N said softly, petting Zoroark on the head, "that I don't really know how to fit in out here. The world is a terrifying place to find yourself in when you don't have a purpose. All your worries start to pile up and then, before you can even realize it, you're being pulled under."

_Don't say that, N. Your life has purpose still. You want to make the world a better place for all Pokémon, don't you? Isn't that, after all that has happened, still what you desire?_

"Well…" he began, unsure of how to proceed. "Yes, I do suppose that is what I wish to do with my life, but I haven't any idea how to achieve this goal now. Before, everything was so easy; I had trained for my mission since I was a child. Now, I find myself as conflicted and lost as I once was as a boy."

"N!" Touko cried, trotting up to him. She had both of their bags slung across her body and her cheeks were as red as a Pikachu's. She was covered in small cuts and her hair, which she normally obsessed over, was loose and wild, full of snapped off twigs and leaves.

"_You_," she hissed, yanking him up by the sleeve. "You are a complete ass! You lecture me about going off on my own constantly and what do I wake to find?" She shoved his note, now severely crumpled, against his chest, her chest heaving with her every furious breath.

"I didn't mean to worry you," N said, backing away from her just a step. "Why didn't you call me?"

"Why didn't I call you?" she repeated incredulously. "Are you serious? I called you like ten times. You never picked up!"

"What? No, that's not possible," N said, holding up the wrist he had hastily attached her xtransceiver to. Sure enough, the green missed call light was flashing. "Oh, it must be on silent…sorry."

"You better be," Touko huffed, flopping to the ground in exhaustion. "I just ran five miles uphill, got attacked by every tree I passed, with all our possessions, thinking that you were in some kind of terrible danger—only to find you staring out at the ocean, petting Zoroark! I'm lucky I even found you. If the concierge hadn't tried to sell me on the same nature hike, I'd still be wandering around Lilycove. What even made you decide to come all the way out here?"

"I…just needed to clear my head," N said hesitantly, sitting on the ground next to her.

She sighed and nodded her head. "I can tell you've had a lot on your mind lately. Still thinking about N.G.S.?"

"No, but yes," he mumbled, drawing his legs up to his chest.

"Well, that's not a vague or cryptic answer," Touko said, rolling her eyes at him.

_Just given in, N. She's going to get it out of you one way or another_, Zoroark advised.

"I know. World class interrogators could learn a thing or two from her."

"I hate it when you guys talk about me," she pouted. "But, come on, out with it. I know you've been keeping something from me for the past couple of weeks," she nagged.

He sighed in defeat. She was going to think he was absolutely insane; but, wasn't it she who only weeks ago believed that she had felt a heartbeat come from an inanimate object? If anyone would understand this bizarre phenomenon, it was her.

"I…I don't know—I think it's this ring," he said quietly, his body trembling slightly under the gravity of his words. "When I'm wearing it, it's like my cognitive abilities are…altered in some way. I can't really explain how it feels properly, but I guess the best way to describe is that I feel amplified. Things that would have taken me at least a few minutes to figure out normally come to me almost instantaneously. It's almost as if…I—or it—already know the answer…to everything.

"There's this voice that calls to me in my mind, like Reshiram. It comes to me in my darkest moments of uncertainty and fear; it turns my thoughts to bitter incoherencies and fills me with a sense of dread. I know it sounds mad, but…I can't shake this feeling that this voice is coming from this," he said, holding out his left hand to display the odd ring.

"I've been having these dreams lately—no, that's not right. They're not dreams really; I suppose they're more like memories, but they're sharper than that. It's like I'm viewing these events from my life through a camera lens, but living them out simultaneously. Sometimes, they're so vivid that I can barely tell whether I am awake or asleep. I'm haunted once again by the ghosts of my past," he said quietly, shaking as his mind flashed again with the memory of that day. "And I believe this ring is responsible for this heightened clarity."

"How long has this been going on?" Touko asked, trying her best to sound calm for him.

"It's hard to say. It wasn't immediate; over time, though, it became obvious that something was changing. I first noticed about five days after I started wearing the ring. But, if it takes time to effect change, then I suppose it is accurate to say that I have been under its influence since the moment I put it on."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Touko fretted.

_Or me? I would have believed you_, Zoroark whimpered

"You both have your own problems. I thought it best to not trouble you with mine."

"N," Touko said, taking his face in her hands. "You can't keep things like this secret from me. I know that sharing things, especially things you think would trouble me, is difficult for you. You've made so much progress since we've met, it's easy to forget that this is the first time you've ever really been around other people for very long. I'm so proud of you, you know?"

"Progress?" he repeated flatly, absentmindedly plucking a small white flower from the earth. He twisted it in his nimble fingers for a moment as he observed its creamy, delicate petals. He took one of the elegantly shaped petals between his fingers and, without a second thought or any hesitation, ripped it from the stigma.

"Yeah," Touko said brightly. "You've opened up to me so much more than I ever thought you could. I can only guess how difficult that was, and still is, for you. I'm so happy that you let me in," she said, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

"I want to tell you everything, even the ugly and painful things," he whispered, unable to keep the strange mixture of emotion welling up inside of him from coloring his voice. "But, please, do not get your hopes up for me. I'm always going to be…like this," he said, gesturing to his whole body. "There's always going to be something missing from me that other people have. I'll never be able to give you all of myself; I'm not even whole. I'm a fractional person.

"I'm just so tired of feeling like…like a freak."

Touko took his chin in her hand and gently turned his face toward hers. "You're right, N. You are never going to be like a regular person. Do you know why?" she asked. He gazed at her blankly, completely taken aback by the stinging bite of her words. "Well, it's because you are the most extraordinary person I've ever met in my entire life. I don't care how broken you are—nine thirthy-secondths, six seventy-eighths—I adore every inconsequential piece of you, so give me whatever there is to have of you."

He could take no more of such kind, loving words. The tears he had tried so hard to choke back since he awoke from his all too sharp dream finally broke free from his eyes. He wrapped his arms around Touko and hugged her tightly to his body, burying his face in her neck as he sobbed. She stroked his hair in silence, allowing him to retain some dignity in this moment of weakness.

"N, look; there's a train coming," she said, giving him a little shake. "I didn't even know there was a track anywhere around here. It must be one of those fancy passenger cars taking people to Lilycove for vacation."

He pulled away from her and wiped his eyes. Chugging towards them was a cherry red engine trailed by several ornate passenger cars. As the train passed them, N caught his reflection in its rounded side. He held his own gaze as the locomotive sped past him; the man looking back at him was still just a scared little kid, crying about the circumstances of his reality. As he watched himself there in the lacquer, he smiled. Though his reflection was much the same, the world around him had changed. He had finally been uprooted and transplanted somewhere new.

Touko watched as the engine sped past them, taking in the grand décor of the train's interior in flashes as she gazed into people's windows. In one room, she spied a boy no older than fifteen with moppish blonde hair and piercing hazel eyes. Sitting next to him was an Audino wearing a nurse's hat and a sleeping man with shoulder length black hair, his face buried in a light blue pillow. As the train sped by, the boy flashed a smile at her and, though she knew she had never seen him before in her life, she couldn't help but feel as though she and N were connected to him.

_What strange wonders Hoenn has given us_, she thought as she cradled N in her arms. _I wonder what Johto will offer up to us_.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N-So, thankfully, this section's not as long as the last. Unfortunately, I may not be able to update this story for at least another week. I'm currently teaching calculus 8 hours a day and when I get home, I'm too exhausted to do anything but sleep. I've already started 19, so hopefully I'll be able to update sooner than a week from now. But probably not, lol.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for getting us here so quickly, Zekrom," Touko said as she patted the great black dragon's flank. "I'm so excited to see Johto! I've heard they've got some really cool Pokémon here."<p>

_It was my pleasure. While you slept, N and I had a very pleasant conversation about the ethics of keeping Pokémon stored in Pokeballs._

"Oh, really?" Touko asked, eyeing N suspiciously as he unloaded their bags from Zekrom's back. _That sounds like Plasma talk…_

_Yes. We both agreed that before going any further into town you should both give your Pokémon some time to exercise. They'll get lazy if you don't._

"Oh," Touko said, feeling a little annoyed at herself for having suspected N of any propaganda. "That does sound like a good idea. It's been a few days since I've been able to let out all my Pokémon. Would you like to return to your ball and rest or would you like to stay out and mingle with the others?"

_I am weary from such a long flight. I would like to return and rest._

"Okay," she said, nodding her head.

The great dragon eagerly returned to the ball in her outstretched hand. N handed Touko her bag; she stowed Zekrom away in the Pokeball pocket, whispering a few words of thanks before placing him in his usual spot. Before releasing the rest of her team, she surveyed the area in which they had just landed.

It was a large clearing somewhere in the middle of a dense wood. The trees were tall around them, yet their branches didn't encroach upon them or block out the sun. The earth beneath her feet was covered in a thick carpet of clover and wild grass; in several spots, the grass had been stomped down, indicating that this clearing was used often by people and perhaps some Pokémon as well.

"This sure is a weird place to find out in the middle of a forest," Touko said, lying out on the thick grass. It felt wonderful to stretch out her stiff legs.

"It is," N agreed as he sat cross-legged on the ground next to her. "Someone must have created this place as an escape route of sorts."

"Escape route?" Touko repeated.

"Yeah. Look at the branches on the trees," N said, gesturing to the perimeter of the clearing. "They've all been Cut back by a Pokémon. Somebody must have needed room for one of their Pokémon to Fly out of here. By the looks of it, it must have had an impressive wing span."

"Hmm," Touko said thoughtfully. "They must come here often to train. Some of the branches look like they've just been Cut into, but others are healing and starting to grow back out. Plus, these footprints look like they were just made."

"Wow, I'm impressed," N said sincerely. "That's some sound reasoning and keen observations, Touko."

"You're beginning to rub off on me," she joked.

He grinned at her, his cheeks pinking slightly. He leaned back on his arms and gazed up at the large hole that had been punched in the otherwise continuous canopy of the forest. The sunlight felt nice on his wind-chilled face; he closed his eyes, imagining what lying in the sun must feel like to a grass-type Pokémon.

Touko sat up, with much effort, and retrieved the rest of her team from her bag. "Well, this should be interesting," she said, sighing a bit as she enlarged a Pokeball. "Let's hope they don't wreck up the place too badly."

N laughed and nodded his head in agreement as he too readied to release his Pokémon. Several loud snaps echoed throughout the clearing, accompanied by bright flashes of light. Soon, Touko felt the familiar scrape of Serperior's leafy scales against her skin. She scratched him beneath his chin as he loosely coiled and draped himself across her body.

"Be easy," she reminded him as she felt his muscles tighten around her body, his natural reflex to sunlight. "Why don't you go charge up while we rest?"

The grassy snake nodded in understanding and untangled itself from her limbs. Slowly, it slithered forward to the center of the clearing and coiled up, basking in the warmth of the mid-morning sunlight. Touko's Zebstrika eyed the snake suspiciously as it grazed, discharging tiny amounts of electricity every time Serperior flicked out his tongue. Swoobat, who was perched safely in a tree, watched the two stare each other down.

Darmanitan, who was still as jealous as ever of N, sat by Touko and made pouty little grunting sounds whenever she failed to give him attention. She stroked his head idly as she watched Zoroark sniff and inspect the trees closest to them. The Hoothoot N had adopted in Nuvema Town was perched on his shoulder, his large, orb-like eyes squinting as they adjusted to the brightness. Liepard laid lazily in N's lap, purring as he soaked in both the sunlight and attention. N's Musharna hovered close to Touko's head, little puffs of pink dream smoke rising out of its head. Darmanitan grumbled as she reached up and stroked the odd pink and purple Pokémon.

As she watched N converse and play with their Pokémon, a wave of intense happiness washed over Touko. She had rarely seen N look as content with the world as he looked now. He was in his element here, in the middle of nowhere, playing with those he understood best. The smile that spread across his face as Liepard rubbed and bumped his head against his face was one she had never seen before. It was purely joyous and innocent, like the smile of a small child lost in a game of make believe. He was at peace, a feeling he rarely felt in the open world, and, though she wished he was this comfortable and secure all the time, Touko was glad for him.

After a few, short hours the sun had begun to edge across the sky. The Pokémon were thoroughly exhausted from their idea of playing with each other, which mostly consisted of mock battles and an odd, more aggressive form of tag. They eagerly returned to their Pokeballs, ready for a nice rest, with the exception of Hoothoot, who stayed on N's shoulder.

"Ready to go?" N asked Touko, as they made their way to the edge of the clearing. "Hoothoot told me that we're close enough to Ecruteak City that we should be able to get there before dark."

"Awesome!" Touko bubbled. "I've wanted to visit Ecruteak City since I read about the Burned Tower in world history class. Thank goodness we've got a Johto native with us as a guide."

Hoothoot clicked his beak and hid his head under one of his wings. Touko giggled as she imagined his facial feathers turning bright red. N, who had understood what he had said perfectly, stroked the bird's head sympathetically, all the while trying to choke back his own laughter.

"Alright, let's get going then," N said to Hoothoot as they stepped into the forest.

After just a few steps, the light seemed to have been swallowed up by the high, dense, and interlocking branches of the trees. Hoothoot popped his head out from under his wing and gazed about, his ruby eyes seeming to practically glow in the darkness. He turned his head sharply to right a made a few little clicking sounds with his beak in N's ear.

"This way," N said, grabbing Touko's hand in his.

Before she had time to be stunned at this intimate gesture, she was pulled forward into a vast maze of darkness and branches. The ground beneath her feet was soft, carpeted in several years' worth of dead leaves and other decaying matter from the forest above. As she huffed along behind N, who was pulling her along much more quickly than she preferred to go, her lungs were filled with musky, earthy air. Every hurried step they took she could feel branches snagging at her clothing. More than once did they have to stop to disentangle her long hair from the dry fingers of a gnarled branch.

After what seemed like two weeks' worth of scratches and tangled hair, they finally arrived just outside of Ecruteak City. As Touko gazed up at the sky, happy to finally see light again, she caught a glimpse of Bell Tower in the distance. The massive pagoda easily rivaled the sky scrapers of Castelia City in height and impressiveness. Even from a distance, the ornate architecture of the ancient building was a wonderful sight to behold.

"Wow, N, look at how magnificent Bell Tower is! I can't wait to visit there," Touko said excitedly. "Even after all the time that has passed since it was first built, the architecture is still so lovely and delicate looking."

"Yes, it truly is a wondrous sight. I've seen many pictures of it before and marveled at its beauty. Seeing the real thing, however, is a hundred times more breath taking than anything I ever imagined."

Touko started off toward the city, only to be stopped dead in her tracks. N had, once again and without provocation, taken her hand in his. She expected him to pull her along like he always did when he grabbed her hand, but, instead, he pressed his palm to hers and laced his long, delicate fingers between hers.

"Why'd you stop walking?" he asked, confused at her odd behavior.

"I was just surprised," she sputtered as she resumed walking, this time hand in hand with N.

"Oh? Do women not like this kind of thing?" he said, lifting their interlocked hands up in the air.

"No, I like it a lot, actually. I was just shocked that you…" she said softly, trying her best to pick the best words. "That you…"

"I see," he said. "You didn't think I would know that this gesture is romantically meaningful. Well, I guess that's a fair assumption," he chuckled. "But, I have seen people hold hands before and I read many stories in which people who had feelings for each other held hands as they walked. We've held hands before, but not like this—at least, it hasn't felt like this before…for me, anyway."

"How does it feel now?" she pressed, half of her just wishing to tease him and the other half hanging on his every word.

"Close, secret…special," he said softly, trying desperately to let his calm voice belie his nervousness.

Touko smiled and, with her free hand, tucked a piece of N's now severely disheveled hair behind his ear. As they walked along silently together, Touko let her mind drift to empty and frivolous thoughts of the future. Even in the midst of the chaos she called her life lately, she found herself constantly lost in that daydream world. It wasn't a fanciful or magical land filled with unimaginable delights; instead, it was a quiet, peaceful place where she and N could wile away their time together without threat or intrusion from the outside world.

"Wow, Touko, look at this place," N said, his voice streaked with awe. "It's so beautiful here."

Snapping out of her daydream, Touko blinked her eyes back into reality. Before her was the town she had so often dreamed of visiting when she was younger. It was much the same as the pictures she has seen in her textbooks, and yet it was completely different. As they navigated their way through the old-fashioned, traditional homes, Touko felt like she had been swept back in time.

"Where do you want to go first?" N asked, pulling a Johto visitor's guide from a pocket in his bag. "It says here that Ecruteak City has many sights of historical interest, including the Bell Tower, the Burned Tower, and the Kimono Dance Theater. "

"Let's go to the Burned Tower, then head over to the dance theater, and end the day at Bell Tower," Touko said, practically buzzing with excitement.

Hoothoot, who was still perched on N's shoulder, made a few weary hooting sounds as they approached the charred remains of the once massive Brass Tower. He buried his face in N's neck and made hasty, rapid clicks with his beak.

"It'll be alright. I'm sure this place isn't cursed," N said reassuringly. "You can go back into your Pokeball, if you want." The little owl-like Pokémon returned quite eagerly to his Pokeball.

"He thinks this place is cursed, huh?" Touko asked, trying to sound unbothered by the thought of this.

"Yes. He said it was well known among the Pokémon of this region that the Brass Tower was a place where terrible things happened," N said calmly. "But, you shouldn't put too much stock into stories like that. Pokémon, just like humans, can be a little superstitious about places like this, especially if any ghost-type Pokémon make their home here. Although, Pokémon do have an excellent intuition for that type of thing…"

"Maybe we should come back in the morning," Touko said, her voice shaking with fear. A sharp wind rose up and whipped past them. The air, which had been warm in the moments before the ominous gust, bit its cold fangs into her skin, making goose bumps rise all over her arms. "This place is really starting to freak me out," she whimpered, now cling to N's arm.

"Don't be ridiculous," N teased, dragging her forward. "It's just your mind playing tricks on you. There's nothing to be scared of here. It's just an old building."

"But, what if we miss the last performance of the night at the dance theater because we were playing adventurers in some crappy old building?" she protested.

"Well, I'm sure there will be another performance tomorrow afternoon. Now, come on, Miss Adventurer," he said in a mocking tone.

Still clinging on to his arm for dear life, Touko was pulled forward into the lowest level of the Burned Tower. The air was thick and heavy here, and yet it was cool. A thick layer of dust had settled on the broken and charred remains of the tower. The Brass tower was supposed to have burned to the ground over a hundred years ago, but, as N ushered her around on the roped off pathway, she could see there were objects that were not covered in dust and grime; rather, they were dusted still with the large, flaky ashes of the burnt wood of the building. After so much time had passed, how was it possible that these ashes had not been carried away by the wind?

N, who seemed unfazed by the strangeness of this place, babbled on to Touko, about what she really wasn't sure. Her mind was filled with shadows and insidious shapes. Her heart felt like it was doing backflips in her chest as she was led through the otherworldly ruin. She felt N's hand rest on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard, letting his touch reorient her to her surroundings.

They were just in an old building. Sure, it might have been a little creepy to come here so close to sunset, but it wasn't all that bad really. The cold gust of air she had felt before they entered the building was just a storm blowing in. It was Fall in this region right now anyway, so it was likely that rain was on the way.

_How foolish of me to think that this place was haunted. Good thing I've got N here with me to keep me grounded. God knows what I would've done if I had gone here by myself…Well, I probably wouldn't have gone inside to begin with. What am I saying? The only reason I didn't want to come here was because that silly Hoothoot freaked me out. I definitely would have gone in_, she thought irately. _I'm not afraid of old buildings._

N's grip on her shoulder suddenly tightened, his reassuring squeezes turning to harsh grasps. From the corner of her eye, Touko looked over to him. He was still holding her hand and chattering away, his free hand dragging along the rope of the walkway. Come to think of it, it would have been incredibly awkward for him to reach around and grab her shoulder in the first place. She wanted to scream as she realized that someone—or something—other than N had been squeezing her shoulder for the last five minutes. Hastily, and some what less than inconspicuously, she pulled out the first Pokeball she could find in her bag and readied to battle.

Just as she enlarged it in her hand, a small voice met her ears.

"Excuse me, Miss," a light, airy voice called, a small tug pulling at Touko's shoulder.

N stopped and turned around, Touko turning with him stiffly. Standing before them was a girl of about thirteen with wispy blonde hair and light green eyes. She was wearing a plain, light pink dress with a large badge that read "Tour Guide" in bright red letters. Touko felt like she was going to faint from relief.

"Sorry to bother you, but I couldn't help but notice your bracelet. It's lovely," she said, taking Touko's wrist in her hand. "Oh my, your pulse is awfully fast and you look really pale. Are you alright? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"I, uh, guess I let myself get a little carried away by my imagination," Touko mumbled, her face now a very bright shade of red.

"Oh, I see," the girl said sweetly. "That explains why you didn't want to turn around when I first tried to get your attention."

"Sorry," Touko said weakly, thoroughly embarrassed.

"It's no big deal. Lots of people get scared when they come visit the Burned Tower. During the Winter months, we usually have a ton of Ghastly and Haunters nesting here. It can get pretty spooky around then."

"I noticed a few on the way in," N said casually.

"And you didn't say anything!" Touko screeched.

"I didn't want to frighten you," N said, fighting back a grin.

"Well, I'll leave you two to explore our exhibit. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'll be at my desk, just by the exit," the girl said brightly. As she walked away, she turned a called over her shoulder, "Your bracelet really is lovely, Miss. I had no idea anyone but my mother collected red shards."

"Red shards?" N repeated incredulously.

"Well, yes," the girl said, stopping a short distance away from them. "Didn't you know that's what was in your key?"

"These aren't rubies?" N asked, holding Touko's key in the palm of his hand.

"No, Sir. Those are most definitely red shards. She how they glitter so beautifully, even in the darkness? Only red shards do that; trust me, I would know. My mother has heaps of them around the house. She's such an avid collector, she'll trade travelers items in exchange for them."

"Would your mother mind terribly if we stopped by and examined her collection? We're foreigners, you see. We don't have gems such as this where we come from. All such finery has to be imported," N said, a wild gleam in his eyes.

"Well…" the girl said hesitantly. "I suppose she wouldn't mind since you're visitors and all. My shift ends in just a few minutes. If you don't mind waiting for me, I can take you to my house right after I get off work."

"Thank you, that would be wonderful," N said, his voice full of earnest appreciation.

"Okay, I'll just go finish up my closing duties. When I'm done, I'll meet you two at the entrance. Oh! My name is Elizabeth," she said.

"Nice to meet you, Elizabeth, I'm N."

"And I'm Touko. Thank you again for agreeing to let us come see your mother's collection. We've been trying to figure out what kind of gems these were for ages."

The two waited around outside the tower in silence, both of their minds occupied with all they knew of red shards. Admittedly, neither of the pair had much knowledge of red shards or their properties. In Unova, finding such items naturally was extremely rare. You were far more likely to stumble across evolutionary stones or gems that could be held by Pokémon. After ten or so minutes had passed, Touko could take no more of the silent speculation.

"So, what do you know about red shards?" she asked.

"Less than I'd like to," N said sourly. "I read about them once a long time ago, but the passage itself was brief and gave only a superficial description of what they were."

"Yeah, I don't really know anything about them either. I just remember learning that they were supposed to be really old stones. Well, that and that they were red, but that seems not worth stating."

"That's basically what I know about them too," he said glumly.

"Huh," Touko said jokingly. "Something N doesn't know more about than I do. Weird."

"You know more than you give yourself credit for," he said gently, placing his hand on her shoulder for real this time.

"Hey, sorry to keep you two waiting," Elizabeth called as she jogged towards them. "The night guard was running a little late today. He's totally in love with one of the Kimono Girls. It's sad, really. He goes there every day to watch her dance, but he still hasn't plucked up the courage to talk to her. Well, this way," she said, heading towards the center of the quiet tourist town.

After a short walk, N and Touko found themselves outside of a charming, traditional-style, single level home. Elizabeth took off her shoes before entering and, taking it to be a custom in this region, N and Touko both removed their shoes as well. Inside, the house was spacious and modern, containing all the same luxuries as they would have found in a typical Unovan household.

"Mom," Elizabeth called. "I'm home! And I've got a surprise for you."

"What this?" her mother said, rounding the corner that led to the interior of the house. "Oh, you've brought guests?"

"Actually, they're here to see you."

"Me?" she asked.

"Yeah, they wanted to show you this," Elizabeth said, taking Touko's wrist in her hand and raising it to her mother's eyes.

"My word!" she gasped as she took in the delicate silver key. "Where in the world did you get this, young lady?"

"Uh…" Touko hesitated. _Oh, you know, from a Hoothoot that flew in through my window. I'm pretty sure it was sent to me by a deranged possible rapist who has likely been following me for the past three years. It's really not a big deal_. "I inherited it from my grandma. She picked it up when she visited Johto as a young woman. Elizabeth tells me that you know what kind of stones these are."

"They're red shards," she said, taking Touko's hand gently from Elizabeth's. "See?" she asked, pointing to the red studs in her ears.

Sure enough, Touko saw that the stones in the woman's earrings glittered and shone with the same unnatural light as the gems on her key. The quality and brilliance of the stones the woman wore, however, was incomparable to the red shards that were embedded in Touko's key. Touko's seemed to genuinely be made of drops of crystalline fire.

"Why do mine look different?" she asked tremulously.

"The shards mounted in this bracelet are of a much finer quality than any of the shards I've ever encountered before. I dare say that they are perfectly flawless. And look at this beautiful mounting! I can't even tell that these were ever touched by human hands. It's like they came from the plates themselves!"

N drew in a sharp breath as she said the word 'plates', the color literally draining from his face. "Surely you speak in jest, ma'am," he sputtered.

"Well, it is just a theory, but it is gaining ground in the scientific community. I met a man just the other day who was traveling to Olivine City. He was well versed in plate lore and their possible connection to the shards. If you head out tomorrow, perhaps you can intercept him before he sails to Vermillion City."

"I would leave tonight if I could," N said breathlessly.

"I'm sorry, but did I miss something here?" Touko said, a little irate at being left out of the loop. "What's this about plates?"

Elizabeth chuckled. "Ah, come on, Touko. Didn't your mom ever read you myths when you were a kid?"

"Uh, not really. I mean, she told me the story of The Two Brothers, but we don't really have a lot of myths in Unova," she said weakly.

"Here, girl, take this," the woman said, handing her two tickets to the S.S. Aqua. "You really should hear about this from a professional, not a mere enthusiast like myself. I don't really get out of the city much these days anyway. Better that someone use them before they expire."

"Thank you so much, ma'am. You've no idea how greatly you have aided us tonight," N said sincerely, holding the woman's eyes in his own, a rare action for him to do with someone other than Touko. "We'll be going now. We've need to rest up if we are going to reach Olivine in time."

"Of course," the woman agreed. "Thank you for sharing your amazing red shards with me. If you ever want someone to take them off your hands, I'd be happy to pay you a pretty price for them."

"I just may take you up on that offer," Touko grumbled as Elizabeth ushered her and N to the door.

"It was nice meeting you two," she called as they walked the few blocks to the inn. "I hope you find the sailor. He was so good at story telling."

"Good-bye," Touko said, waving lazily as she trudged forward. "Thanks for everything."

"Can you believe our luck, Touko?" N asked, practically dancing to the hotel. "If we hadn't gone to the Burned Tower we would have never figured out that those are red shards. I believe this is what you call a 'fated encounter', don't you?"

"No, not really. But, then again, I don't know my mythology," she quipped. "And, I suppose it wouldn't do me any good to beg you to explain to me what plates are."

"Honestly, I don't know enough about them to be helpful," N replied, just a little too quickly.

"I thought that thing," she said, grabbing his ringed thumb, "amplified your cognitive abilities."

"It does, but it can't make me just magically know things. I can feel this nagging little presence at the back of my mind, though. It's like I'm missing one critical piece of the puzzle. It's rather maddening."

"So, you aren't going to tell me anything?" she pressed.

"I don't have anything to tell, honestly," he said exasperatedly.

Touko grabbed his hand in hers tenderly and pulled him towards her, pressing her hips against his. Slowly, she let her hands trail him his arms, letting them come to a rest behind his neck. She looked up at him with her deep, rich blue eyes and smiled. She could feel his chest rise and fall with his sporadic breaths.

"Please, tell me, N," she whispered in his ear, making sure that her lips brushed his earlobes as she spoke. "Please."

"What are we talking about?" N sputtered feebly, his cheeks now a wanton shade of pink.

Touko sighed and let her forehead rest on his. "Nothing, forget about it." _Enhanced cognitive abilities my ass_. "Let's just get some dinner and go to sleep," she said wearily, disentangling herself from his body.

As she pulled away, N leaned forward and planted an innocent kiss on her cheek. She smiled and took his hand in hers and led him into the inn. A devious smile pulled at the corners of his lips as he silently thanked his bizarre ring for making him a better at lying. His mischievous grin spread into a full-fledged smile as Touko resumed stroking his forearm with her fingers.


	19. Chapter 19

"Face it, Touko, we're a little lost," N said sympathetically. "We've passed that Milktank farm three times now. Just admit you misread the map."

"Excuse me, but I think I know how to read a map," Touko huffed. "And, if we are lost—and I'm not saying we are—it's definitely not my fault."

"Oh, yes, definitely not," N said sarcastically under his breath. _Stubborn as ever, I see_, he thought, heaving an exhausted sigh. _At this rate, we'll be lucky if we ever make it to Olivine City_. "Why don't we rest for a moment and clear our heads?"

"Fine," Touko grumbled sourly, leaning moodily against the nearest tree. "I wanted to watch those Milktanks graze anyway."

N sat at the base of the tree she leaned against and pulled off his cap. The shade was a welcome refuge from the unnaturally hot sun. According to everything he had ever read about the Johto region, autumn was supposed to be mild and chilly. However, ever since they had arrived in Johto all they had experienced was sunshine and clear skies.

"I'm going to see if they have anything to drink. Our luck, they'll have just sold out of milk…" Touko grumbled, staring at the little ranch in the distance.

"Okay," N said gently, trying to keep her bad mood at bay with sweetness. "I'm sure they'll have something for us."

"Yeah, right…" she grumbled, putting her hands on the back of her head as she strolled unenthusiastically to the ranch.

The grass, overgrown and wild from the unusual surge in sunlight, brushed against the back of her knees as she walked. The bushy, fuzzy ends of the strange, native weeds tickled as they drug across her sensitive skin. The sensation reminded her of when her mother's pet cat would wind in out of her legs, begging for attention. His fur was so soft that it had felt like crushed velvet when he had rubbed against her.

_Purry had been so old when he died, his meow had sound more like the croaking of a toad. It was so dry and brittle, but warm and loving at the same time_. The wind, which had mysteriously picked up again, whipped past her, carrying the strange, ragged sound of creaking branches. _Yeah, he sounded just like that_, she mused. _How strange; I haven't thought of him in years_.

As she continued forward, she couldn't help shake the feeling that she was being rubbed up against. Every sticker that snagged at her skin became the playful, imploring bat of a soft paw. The warm little gust of wind that stirred the grass at her ankles became the breath of an old, exhausted friend trying so desperately to keep up with her steps. The soft thud of a body collapsing behind her, which she was sure she had imagined, didn't change; it remained, echoing in her ears, free of romantic nuisance or poetic alternation.

_My imagination is running wild again_, she thought, sighing irately. _I don't know what it is lately. I just can't seem to keep my feet on the ground. Maybe the stress of…all of this is starting to get to me. I'm starting to imagine all sorts of crazy things…even sounds now, apparently. Maybe I really am losing my mind aftera_—

"Espeee…"

_Great. There it is __**again**__. My already fragile grip on sanity is starting to unravel. Well, it was a good run, I suppose_.

"Esssp…peon…"

_I'm just going to ignore it. If I don't pay it any attention, maybe I'll stop hearing_—

"Ooonnn…"

"Ah! Get out of my head!" Touko roared, covering her ears in frustration.

"Espeonnn on," whimpered a dry, weak voice.

"What?" Touko gasped. Slowly, she turned around and peered into the high grass around her feet. Lying a few feet away was a lavender, cat-like Pokémon. Its breathing was extremely labored and its fur, though still a beautiful and enchanting shade of purple, was ruffled and smeared with dirt. "Oh my god, I was actually hearing something this whole time? I'm not crazy, then? Ah, what am I saying! Are you okay?" she asked frantically, falling to her knees to further inspect the strange little Pokémon.

"Espeee…" it croaked weakly, its throat dry and tight. Feebly, it pawed in the direction of the Milktanks that lazily grazed in their pen.

"Oh, are you thirsty?" Touko asked, scooping the mangy purple cat up into her arms. Despite its meager and delicate shape, the Pokémon was still quite weighty. "Don't worry," she cooed. "I'll get you something to drink and then we'll—"

"Touko," N called, catching her by the shoulder as she jogged towards the ranch. "Is everything alright? I could hear you yelling from clear across the field."

"Oh, N, look!" she said weakly, her voice trembling with panic and sorrow. "I found this little guy lying in the grass. He looks like he's about to faint."

N gave the weak, shaking Pokémon in her arms a once over and nodded, his eyes practically swimming with tears. "Come on, we have to get him inside," he choked out.

"Right," she nodded, taking off at a full-fledged sprint to the farm house. Just as she and N were about to pull open the front door, a small blonde boy stepped out to leave. "Look out!" Touko called to him, desperately trying to slow herself down before colliding straight into him.

"Ah!" the boy shouted, jumping back just in time avoid being smashed into by the pair of them. The fresh milk he had been carrying, however, slipped from his hands and crashed to the floor. "Oh, man! What's the big idea running around like that?" he screeched.

"This Pokémon needs medical attention right away," N spat, his tone much more harsh than necessary. "If it's really such a big deal, here," he said, thrusting a large wad of cash into the boy's hands. "That should cover your milk. Now, please, where is the owner?"

"He's not in right now," the boy sputtered. "One of the females got loose last night. The whole crew is out looking for her."

"Damn," N spat, tears trailing down from his eyes.

"But, well, I…maybe I can help you," the boy said softly. "You see, I have some medical training. That's actually why I'm here. My brother and I were on our way to Olivine City when the rancher asked if one of us could please help him with one of the pregnant females. I know I'm young, but I've got a lot of experience fixing up wounded Pokémon. Do you mind if I have a look?"

"Anything's worth a try," Touko said gently, handing the weakened Pokémon to the boy.

"Oh, wow, he's in really bad shape. Why'd you let him get so bad before you sought treatment?"

"Neither of us would do anything like this to our Pokémon!" N shouted, his voice shaking with a mixture of sorrow and rage. "She found him like this in the tall grass outside. Someone…abandoned him out there…to die," N said, his voice cracking as he choked out the words.

"Oh, I see…well, I'll do my best for him. You should still get him to Olivine City as soon as you can so he can be treated properly," the boy said.

"Of course," Touko agreed.

The moppy haired boy pulled a Pokeball loose from the holder attached to his belt and laid the injured Pokémon out gently on the floor. "Okay, Viola, give me a hand," he whispered as he released his Pokémon. With a loud pop and a bright flash of light, an Audino dressed as a nurse materialized next to boy.

"Audino!" she cried brightly, ready to assist her partner in any way she could.

"Viola, please use Heal Pulse on this Espeon," the boy asked.

"Audi no audino," she said, nodding her head in understanding.

Carefully, she held her hands out in front of her, taking care to make sure they were placed over the Espeon. A bright orb of pink light appeared between her outstretched hands. As she gathered healing energy, the ball began to grow in size. Soon, it had swollen so much that its boundaries began to blur and splinter. Viola, sensing the excess of energy, opened her arms wide. Suddenly, the ball fractured, sending down a shower of bright pink sparkles and a small, yet powerful, wave of healing energy.

The enfeebled Espeon twitched slightly as it absorbed the energy, whimpering slightly as its wounds began to heal over. Soon, the Pokémon's appearance began to improve, the tension returning to its muscles. After several minutes had passed, the blonde boy kneeled down and scooped the Espeon into his arms. He gave it a few reassuring pats on the head and handed it over to Touko.

"Well," he said, perhaps a little smugly, "looks like he's over the worst of it. Head straight for the Pokémon Center in Olivine City and then make sure he gets something to eat. In the meantime, take this," he said, pulling a single serving size bag of Pokémon food from his messenger bag. "It's my own special blend. It's full of vitamins and a few weak medicines to promote wellness in weak Pokémon."

"That's…thank you," N said, his voice murky and strained with a strange mixture of rapturous joy and sadness. "Please, keep the money. What you've done here today is well worth it to me…to us."

"That's really not necessary," the boy sputtered. "I do this kind of thing for the joy of helping others, not personal gain."

"Keep it," N insisted, petting the still groggy Espeon gently.

"Uh, okay," the boy mumbled sheepishly.

"Thank you so much—Oh, how rude of us! We don't even know your name," Touko babbled.

"I'm Atreyu; it's nice to meet you," the boy said warmly, his vibrant hazel eyes smiling as brightly as his lips.

"Atreyu, I'm Touko and this is N. So, you're from Unova too, huh?"

"How'd you know?" Atreyu asked, his voice quaking a little.

"You have an Audino," Touko said. "I don't think those are known to be in any other regions besides Unova. That's where N and I are from as well."

"Oh, uh, yep. I'm Unovan. How strange for three foreigners to run into each other all the way out here," he said, trying very hard to sound casual.

"Yeah, small world," Touko joked. "Well, we better get going. We're actually trying to catch a cruise. Thanks again, Atreyu! N and I will never forget your kindness."

"Yeah, it was nice meeting you two. Who knows; maybe we'll meet again one day," Atreyu said, opening the door for them.

Soon, N and Touko were both on their way again, the sick Espeon still resting in Touko's arms. Every once in a while, he would reposition himself as they walked, burying his face into her side whenever N would try to start up a conversation with him. Although he was unused to not being favored by a Pokemon, N was glad that this abandoned Espeon had already formed such a close bond with Touko.

After about twenty minutes of walking, they finally found themselves on the outskirts of Olivine City. Like so many of the other cities they had visited during their travels, Olivine City was located on the edge of the sea. It was a bustling port town, filled with many open air markets and the buzz of people going about their business. The air here was thick with many exotic flavors and aromas, all speaking solidly of the sea and all of its bounties.

At the end of the sprawling port town, there was an expansive system of piers and docks. Nestled down in the center dock was the massive S.S. Aqua, the gem of the cruise fleet. Even from a distance, the gargantuan luxury liner sparkled and glistened, its paint still fresh and flawless. As she took in the impressive sight, Touko spied the town's Pokemon Center. It was the closest building next to the piers and outdoor markets.

As N and Touko made their way to the medical center, they couldn't help but notice a large digital billboard. It constantly flashed between images of the S.S. Aqua out to sea, dozens of satisfied vacationers relaxing on her docks, and a message which read: "Set sail for fun on the world famous S.S. Aqua! We will embark on our next adventure to Vermillion City in the Kanto region at 7:00 PM."

"Well, looks like we made it on time," Touko said brightly as N pushed open the door to the Center for her.

"Yeah," N said, nodding in agreement.

Touko sat the now lucid and slightly irritated Espeon down on the counter of the reception desk. The receptionist gave him an appraising glance and, without a word, handed Touko a series of forms.

"Do you mind returning him to his Pokeball?" the receptionist asked, her lack of enthusiasm written all over her face.

"Uh, well, he isn't exactly my Pokemon…" Touko mumbled. "I sorta just found him out in the grass."

"Sign here," the receptionist groaned, pointing to the bottom of a bright yellow form. Touko hastily scrawled her name across the paper. "Congratulations, this Espeon is now your responsibility."

"But I didn't even catch him! How does this even work?" Touko sputtered, taken aback by her new acquisition.

"If this Pokemon willingly went with you and you decided to seek medical attention for it, you are accepting fiscal responsibility for it. Whether or not it'll accept you as its trainer after it's healed is completely up to the Espeon."

"Alright," Touko mumbled sheepishly, handing over the Espeon.

"Take a seat anywhere over there," the receptionist gasped, heaving the surprisingly weighty purple cat into her arms. "We should have your Pokemon returned to you in less than an hour," she called, kicking open the exam room doors.

"What a charming woman," N sneered as he seated himself in a plump chair.

"Seriously," Touko agreed.

"Touko," N whispered in her ear. "You…you don't think they'll rush treating him, do you?" N fretted. "He's very hearty, but he's been through a lot."

"I hope not," she whispered. "Did he tell you anything about what had happened to him?"

"Not much," N replied in a hushed tone. "All I could get out of him was that his old trainer had abandoned him out in that field 'when the cold air came.' Since Espeon is a sun Pokemon, being left out in a cloudy field would have significantly drained it out its strength. It was likely in a state very similar to hibernation until this unseasonably warm weather started. We're lucky we got lost today; who knows if he would have ever been found otherwise.

"I still can't believe that there are people out there who would do that to their Pokemon…" he said quietly, his eyes pooling with an odd mixture of sadness and utter hate. "I guess there are some things about people I don't ever want to be able to understand."

"Me too," Touko agreed. _Like how someone could carve up an innocent creature, inflicting hours of physical and mental pain upon it, simply because they were ordered to. I don't what it is about this place, but even in the sunshine everything seems to loom under thick storm clouds_. "It's good to know that there are other Unovans out there like us who care about the welfare of Pokemon. Too bad we hadn't met Atreyu during our travels the first time around. I feel like you two could grow to be great friends. Whenever we get to head back home, you should look him up."

"I think I'd like that," N said. "It would be nice to have another friend, especially one that cares so deeply for Pokemon. Maybe he could help me figure out what to do with my life."

"Oh, N, it sounds so dramatic when you say it that way," Touko giggled. "Don't worry about it so much for now, okay? It might not seem like it, but one day you'll get it all sorted out. Besides, you already have one thing taken care of."

"And what would that be?"

"You have an awesome girlfriend with a wealth of worldly knowledge," she boasted.

N blushed bright red at the word "girlfriend." She had referred to him once before as her boyfriend, but he hadn't really thought about it too much at the time. He had never imagined himself as having a girlfriend or belonging to anyone before. But, as he watched her twirl the end of her hair around her index finger, her mind drifting from one unfathomable dream to the next, he couldn't help but feel as though he led a charmed life.

"Hey, Miss White, your Pokemon has fully recovered its health," the receptionist said, heaving the now squirming Espeon into the stunned Touko's arms. "I really don't think you're going to get rid of him. He fussed from the moment you left his sight until we brought him back out."

Touko barely recognized the Pokemon now sitting in her lap. He had been bathed and properly combed, making his soft, velveteen fur glisten. No longer trembling, he sat regally, his head held high, with his curious forked tail wrapped around his powerful legs. Every now and then, the tip of his dual-headed tail would vibrate slightly and he would crane his head around Touko's body and gaze out at the cloudless sky, as though he were waiting for some change in the weather pattern that never came.

"Do you want to come with Touko and I?" N asked, looking the purple cat-like Pokemon in its off-putting red eyes.

"Espee?" he cooed curiously, cocking his head slightly in disbelief.

"Every word you say, yes," N answered, an amused smile spreading across his face. "So, what do you say—would you like to travel the world with us?"

"Espee on on esp," he purred, laying out across Touko's lap.

"He says he'll come with 'the nice girl'," N said, choking back a little laugh. "So, go ahead and 'catch' him, Touko."

"Oh, right," she said, fumbling in her bag for an empty Ultra Ball. "I'm glad I can give you a home, Espeon. I hope you like traveling with us."

"Espeon!" he cried joyously, bumping her on the chin with his head before materializing for the first time inside of his new Pokeball.

"Congratulations," the receptionist said unenthusiastically. "How will you being paying today, Miss White—cash or credit?"

"Bill us. You can obtain her address from the forms she filled out earlier," N said coldly, pulling Touko to her feet and towing her out of the building before she had time to protest.

"That was a little rude, N," Touko complained as N led her forward towards the now crowded pier.

"I know," he said excitedly. "I've never been intentionally rude to someone before! What an empowering feeling. Though, I do feel a little guilty, but she was being far more inconsiderate of our feelings. Besides, we only have about twenty minutes before the ship departs. We needed to get out of there quickly."

Touko sighed, smiling a bit at N's delight over his foray into inhospitable behavior, and scanned the crowd as they made their way to the massive luxury liner. Peppered in amongst the local shopkeepers, painfully obvious tourists snapped pictures and bought up tacky souvenirs before boarding the S.S. Aqua. Weaving in and out of the fabric of the tightly knit throng of visitors, several sailors and cruise workers puffed along as quickly as they could, trying to get to their stations before it was time to set sail.

Soon, the crowded began to thicken, slowly morphing into the line to board the ship. In the distance Touko could hear the clamor of the ship's welcomers, shouting out tacky slogans to the applause of men who found them attractive. N, who had been pulling Touko along by her fingertips, wound his arm through hers, keeping her close to his trembling body.

_Still not good with crowds_, she thought, a hint of sadness creeping over her as the images of N weeping just days before flooded her mind. She watched as his chest rose and fell sharply as he took rapid, nervous breaths. "Everything's going to be fine," she whispered in his ear, squeezing his arm lightly with her free hand.

He nodded, keeping his face, as it almost always was in times of hardship, stoically blank. Slowly and lethargically, the line lurched forward until they found themselves face to face with the overly perky greeters. Dressed in just-tight-enough nautical themed mini-skirts and sailor shirts, the two greeters looked like every teenaged boy's fantasy come to life.

"Welcome to the S.S. Aqua!" the girls chimed in unison.

"May we see your tickets, Sir?" the girl dressed in blue asked, winking suggestively at N as he handed her their tickets. She scanned over the vouchers, glancing up at N occasionally from beneath her thick eyelashes, and ripped off the stubs, stowing them in the breast pocket of her sailor shirt. "Okay! Get ready to—" she chimed, lacing her arm through her coworker's.

"Set sail for adventure!" the pair cheered, tossing confetti at the N and Touko, who both clapped obligingly.

As they made their way up the metal gangplank, they could hear the two greeters giggling like school girls. Just as they were about to enter the ship, the girl dressed in blue beckoned to N.

"Hey, Sailor," she called, batting her eyes at him. "It can get pretty cold and lonely on that old ship at night. My sister and I would be happy to warm you up a little. I'm sure we could make you all hot and sweaty in no time at all."

"Yeah," the girl in the red chimed. "We could do a much better job than _her_," she sneered.

With that, Touko, who was for once stunned into an enraged silence, stomped into the ship's grand foyer with N in tow. Her face was a frightening shade of red as she stomped along, her hair flying out behind her like a comic book villain. Her every breath was a sinister hiss as they wound through the many maze-like corridors of the ship until they found their room. Thoroughly incensed, she flopped down on the bed in silence and stared out their tiny porthole window.

"That sure is curious," N said, sitting down next to her. "You'd think they'd have heating on such a modern ship."

"What are you talking about?" Touko asked exasperatedly.

"What those girls said before we got onboard. They said it got really cold at night on the ship, right? They must not have installed a very good heating system if it gets that cold."

"N, I think you kinda misinterpreted what they were saying…" Touko said, trying to fight back the upwelling of happiness that was bubbling up inside of her.

"Well, what else could they have meant?" N asked, genuinely confused.

"They were hitting on you, N," Touko said, a little smile playing on the corner of her lips.

"I don't know this phrase," N confessed. "What's it mean?"

"They were trying to, uh…you know, pick you up," Touko sputtered.

"Pick me up?" N repeated incredulously. "Why would they want to do that? And what does that have to do with being cold?"

"Oh god, please, stop guessing," Touko said, falling back on to the bed in a fit of laughter. "You're killing me," she gasped through her laughter.

"I'm so confused right now," N said, watching Touko roll on the bed with laughter with puzzled eyes.

"They wanted to have sex with you," Touko choked out, her laughter finally reducing her to tears.

"What? O-o-oh," N said, blushing as the double meaning of their words suddenly dawned on him. "I-I…that's just…"

"N, you have to stop! I can't breathe," Touko roared.

N sat in embarrassed silence as Touko pulled herself together, his blush darkening by the second. Finally, after several minutes of humiliation, Touko had composed herself enough to stand. As she rifled through her bag for a suitable dinner dress, she couldn't help but notice N gazing absentmindedly at his hands in silence. She sighed as a tsunami sized wave of guilt washed over her. Maybe she had enjoyed his innocence a little too much.

"Hey," she said, sitting down next to him. "I'm sorry if I made you feel bad. I didn't mean to. It was wrong of me to laugh at you like that."

"It's okay," he beamed. "I was just thinking about math…" N said, the lie rolling off his tongue without a second thought. "Well, come on," he said, taking her hand in his and rising to his feet. "Dinner service starts in half an hour. If we have any luck at all, we'll be able to get to the bottom of this red shard business."

* * *

><p>N, dressed in a formal dinner jacket and slacks, ushered the equally elegantly dressed Touko into the grand dining room. She hadn't noticed on her way in, perhaps because she was so busy being furious, but the ship was beautifully decorated. Every inch of the ballroom and the dining room seemed to sparkle and glow with understated, modern elegance. The marble floor had been polished to a high sheen, making the dance floor look all the more inviting as the house band warmed up.<p>

Little circular tables with freshly pressed white linen table cloths were neatly arranged in the dining area. The waiters snaked their way in and out the flurry of chairs and passengers as gracefully as professional dancers. Carefully, N and Touko made their way to their designated table. N, who had read and study many etiquette books, pulled Touko's chair out for her.

Once they were both settled in, they leaned close across the table and scanned the massive dining room for the man they had come to see. They were surrounded by a sea of faces, each as nondescript and indistinguishing as the next. As their eyes lighted upon the faces of their fellow diners, desperately searching for a scholarly looking passenger, a man in his late thirties seated himself at their table.

"Hello," he said warmly. "Are you two using Margot's tickets?"

"Uh," Touko hesitated, blushing as she realized they hadn't even gotten the name of the woman who had aided them so greatly. "The woman from Ecruteak City who collects red shards?"

"Yes," the man nodded, scooting his chair closer to the table. "She called me this morning to tell me you two were coming in her stead. Rumor has it that you have some beautiful red shards of your own. Do you mind showing me?"

"Oh, not at all," Touko said, placing her wrist in the man's hand.

"Oh my, these are truly something," he said, turning her wrist in his hand. "It's as if you had crystallized the breath of a dragon."

"Margot told us you were well studied in plate lore and mythology," N said quietly.

"Well, I suppose you could say that, yes. I have a degree in geology, so it is my business to know these kinds of things," the man said lightly.

"Do you believe, as she does, that these shards came from the plates?" N asked.

"It is hard to say with much certainty where they came from. However…" he paused, staring hungrily at the bright red gems. "I can certainly see why she would believe that."

"Sir—" Touko started.

"Call me David, please," he said, cringing slightly at the word 'sir.' "Or, if you must address me formally, call me Dr. Beckette."

"David, could you please tell us all you know about the plates and how they are connected to my bracelet?" Touko pleaded.

David took a deep breath and nodded his head, running his hands through his sandy brown hair. "It is quite a long-winded, nonsensical tale. Are you sure you want to listen?"

"Yes," Touko pressed. "If it helps us understand this bracelet, we'd listen all night long."

"Very well then," David said, settling into his seat and placing a drink order. "In the beginning..."


	20. Chapter 20

"In the beginning," Beckette began, his voice pregnant with mysticism. His grandiose speech, however, was cut short as he spied a young woman dressed in a short, white, sparkling cocktail dress. His brown eyes met her unfathomably deep, vivid blue eyes for a fleeting moment before she disappeared into the arteries of the ship, an enlarged Pokeball clutched in her hands. He shook his head, stunned by the odd feeling that was lingering in the pit of his stomach, and cleared his throat before continuing.

"In the beginning, it was said there was nothing but infinite darkness and boundless space. However, in this wasteland there was said to exist the egg of a single Pokémon. Where did the egg come from if there was nothing, you ask? Many scientists have asked that question over the years. So far, all we know of the origins of the egg are pure speculation. However, it is generally believed that the egg was composed of all the matter that now makes up our universe.

"This point in space, which we know call the egg, for one reason or another became unstable. It began to become denser and hotter, until one day it collapsed in upon itself; perhaps it is accurate to say that this is the moment that the egg hatched. This event goes by many names—the hatching, the collapse, the awakening, the creation—but all the names point to the same thing: a moment when, for one reason or another, the universe came into being.

"But how can something as complex and as intricate as our universe have originated from the egg? This is where out story gets complicated for you see, no matter how we try to piece it together, no one has yet to satisfactorily and completely explain the formation of our universe. What comes here after, my friends, is but one version of the tale of how our world came to be.

"It is told that when the egg fractured open, spilling out the matter that became all things, a single Pokémon was born into the infinite. This Pokémon was said to be like a god. The egg from which it had sprung imbued it with the power of creation, giving this creature an immense and unimaginable gift: it could shape matter as it saw fit. And, that is just what it did.

"With its unique, talented hands, the Pokémon sculpted out our stars, planets, and galaxies for eons. One day, as it surveyed its creation, the Pokémon decided that this vast and complex network of celestial bodies, though beautiful, was missing something. It was the one something that would come to mean so much to us—life.

"Try to imagine what it feels like to be utterly alone. Not just lonely or neglected—but totally alone. That unfathomable emptiness is what drove this Pokémon, for even a god desires companionship. As the Sculptor of Worlds appraised which of its creations was most suitable for starting the new endeavor of life, he caught the sight of a small, blue marble hanging in the vastness.

"This miniscule, seemingly unimportant chunk of rock, atmosphere and sea was the infant form of the planet we now call home. It was still pristine, unmarred by human hands, and was ripe for the sowing of the seed of life. The enormous seas that cover the majority of the surface of our home world were the perfect incubators for primitive life.

"And so, the Sculptor settled into life on the surface of our tiny planet with ease. After many failed attempts at the starts of life, it had finally developed several viable biological molecules and had even begun weaving the thread that would connect every living creature on our planet: DNA. Finally, after many long years, the spark of life that the Sculptor had carried within him, the gift of the cosmic egg, was ready to be passed on.

"Over time, the first true animals formed. They were single celled life-forms, with no consciousness or any other driving forces but one—the instinct to survive. The world around them, now flourishing with plant life, urged them ever forward. Slowly, they began to change, becoming steadily more complex until mammalian life became dominant. It was, at this moment, that the Sculptor's ultimate dream had been realized.

"There emerged two species. These two different, simultaneously existing forms of life would come to be known as humans and Pokémon. At long last, the Pokémon was no longer alone in the universe. He finally had created that which he had longed for the most—a family. But, this sublime acceptance had come at a terrible cost.

"For you see, the power to create which the egg had granted the Sculptor resided inside of jewels that were embedded in its body. As it expended more and more of the life that resided in its gems, the less energy it had to live itself. So, his vision of the world finally realized, The Original One knew that if it were to survive, it would need to go into a state of deep sleep.

"To ensure the safety of the fragile new life, The Original One created three governing powers: Dialga, master of time, Palkia, master of space, and Giratina, the ruler of the Distorted World. These three powerful legendary Pokémon became the new rulers of the universe, each imbued with a fraction of the power of the egg. Finally, The Original One created three governing powers of life: Uxie, the embodiment of knowledge, Mesprit, the embodiment of emotion, and Azelf, the embodiment of willpower. These three Pokémon became the driving forces of life on our planet.

"Now ready for his long sleep, The Original One began to undergo a series of rapid changes. The jewels that resided in its body, that shone with the light and fire of life, began to become dull and brittle. In the moments before it drifted off into sleep, The Original One removed the jewels from its body and locked them away in a tomb of stone.

"Many years passed and The Original Story became no more than myth. Until one fateful day, a woman discovered an odd vault in the side of a mountain on her family's estate. When she opened it, she found inside a small, golden box surrounded by a set of sixteen keys. Each key, though badly tarnished and filthy, had set into it gems of the most brilliant and clear quality she had ever seen. She lifted each key to the light to examine it closer. To her surprise, one key in particular responded to her touch. There is much debate over which key it was, so I cannot say with certainty what gemstone resided in the key she wore. However, it is clear that from that moment on she kept the key on her person for the rest of her life.

"The moment that woman opened the vault of The Original One, she set about its reawakening. For, you see, the jewels still contained their original power in fractional amounts. It could sense, even in its deep sleep, that a living creature had been united with a part of its body. The connection was deep, forged in the DNA which it had created countless of years before the woman's birth. With this key, she tried desperately to open the box she found that day, but to no avail.

"However, her unquenchable urge to know the power that resided in the box drove her to protect it at all costs. In truth, the desire was likely not her own; it is far more plausible that The Original One was influencing her in order to keep its power safe and well guarded. Whatever the reason, the box is now hidden away again, its location lost to all who dare to seek the treasure of The Original One.

"Rumor has it, however, that there is an old, wealthy, and powerful family in the Sinnoh region that wear strange key-shaped jewelry to this day. Many believe them to be the direct descendants of the woman who discovered the vault in the mountain. They are also rumored to be directly involved in the history of the Unova region, but that myth, it would seem, has been lost to the ages. Unfortunately, the name and lineage of this ancient family has also been lost, so I'm afraid finding any surviving members would be next to impossible.

"Luckily for you, young lady," Beckette said, picking up Touko's delicate wrist in his hand, "a piece of their family tree has managed to find you."

"You don't mean that you think these red shards are…" N said, his eyes fixed fervently on the Touko's key, "Are a part of Arceus?"

"I do indeed," Beckette replied brightly. "They are a fragment of the most important part of Arceus—they are the missing pieces of its plates. What plate these shards belong to is hard to say, but they do sparkle and burn as passionately as fire. I think it's fair to say that these red shards have come from the Flame Plate, if such a thing exists."

Beckette released Touko's wrist, which hung stiffly in the air as her body was too stunned to move. "But why?" she mouthed dryly. "Why me?"

"Who can say why you," Beckette said lightly. "If anything should be kept in mind about this story, it is that the key chose that woman all those year ago, not the other way around. You are bound to this key in some fundamental, indescribable way. That's the only explanation I can offer you."

"Dr. Beckette," N asked softly, "What would happen if the shards were reunited with their plates?"

"So, you've come to the heart of the issue then," Beckette said, a smile spreading across his lips. "My colleagues and I constantly debate this and we've never once come close to any sort of consensus on the issue. I believe that if the plates were made whole again, Arceus would awaken from its slumber. What would happen then, I can't even dare to dream."

Touko's breathing was ragged and painful as the gravity of the story she had just heard set in. A part of an ancient god Pokémon that possibly created the world and life could be resting on her wrist. The room swirled and blended, a thick layer of sweat clinging to her brow; he legs felt weak and brittle even though she wasn't standing on them. Her heart, now beating out of control, pumped a thick, sludgy, acidic blood through her body; it stung her muscles and her organs as it trickled through them like liquid fire.

All of her key's bizarre behavior suddenly made sense. The unnatural heat it constantly emanated was all too natural for it. The bizarre light that it shone with truly was the bejeweled manifestation of fire. The crackling sound that could be heard coming from it sometimes was the sound of fire consuming wood. The feeling that she was constantly being watched by those three little shards and the preternatural heartbeat…they were the remnants of Arceus himself, living on inside those little shards.

"I'm going to faint," she sputtered weakly, deaf to the conversation N and Dr. Beckette were having. "I'm going t…" she gasped, blinking hard as the world turned sideways.

Cold. Her face was immensely cold. In her mouth, there was the taste of a strange, metallic, salty liquid. Someone was calling her name, but they were very far away. All around her, there was a cacophony of sound. Muddled footsteps and the sad, melancholy wail of an indiscernible instrument.

"Touko!" N cried, shaking her gently by the shoulder. "Oh, please, open your eyes, Touko!"

"Nygh?" she gurgled, trying to push herself off the cold marble floor. "What happened?"

"You fainted," N said gently, his voice washed with relief. "Don't try and sit up just yet. You've hit your head very hard."

"Ugh," she groaned, touching her hand to her aching jaw. "I bit my tongue."

"Shh," N cooed, sitting her gently in his lap. Cradling her in his arms, he pushed her hair away from her face and examined her swelling jaw as thoroughly as a doctor and as gently as a lover. "Try not to talk too much. It doesn't look like you've broken your jaw, but you shouldn't aggravate the injury anymore than necessary."

"Beckette?" she asked, her voice quaking as a ripple of pain shot through her jaw.

"He went to get the ship's doctor for you," N answered, stroking her hair as he pulled her closer to his chest. "Oh, Touko, I was so frightened when you fell. Don't ever do that to me again," he sputtered feebly, hugging her to his body, his hair enveloping both of them.

"Sorry. Bracelet shocked," she choked out.

"Are you feeling okay now?" N whispered to her softly, his lips grazing her earlobe. "Your heart's fluttering like a Butterfree."

"Fine," she lied, a blush rising in her face.

"Would you like me to take you back to the room so you can rest?"

"Yes," Touko said nodding fervently. She could feel the eyes of several diners staring a hole through her currently.

N lifted her in his arms as easily as though she were a rag doll. A chorus of whispers swirled around them as he carried her out of the grand dining room. Now thoroughly humiliated, Touko buried her sore and rapidly expanding face into the warm skin of N's neck. Soon, the sound of the dining hall turned into silence; all she heard as N carried her along was the clicking of his formal shoes against the cool, polished marble of the floors. Her mind swam with a mixture of intense pain, her jaw throbbing with every step he took, and of overwhelming longing as she felt N's powerful arms cradle her so tenderly.

N's paced slowed to a stop and he awkwardly opened their room. Softly, Touko felt herself set down on the plump, inviting pillow-top bed. As carefully as she could, she laid back into the bed, letting the comforter envelop her like a hug.

"Careful," N said laying a pillow beneath her head. He pulled open the mini refrigerator, inspecting it for only a moment with child-like curiosity, and removed the small ice cube tray. "It's not much, but it should help keep the swelling down," he said as he wrapped it in a hand towel and pressed it gently to her jaw.

"Thanks," Touko said, smiling with the good side of her face. N said nothing, but continue to gaze at her now purpling jawline, his fingers running along the contusion softly. Hesitantly, he pressed his lips to the bruise and kissed it as easily as he could.

"No more injuries, okay?" he whispered, lying down next to her. He pulled one of her hands from her stomach and laced his finger through hers. "No more."

"Try," she said, laughing weakly. "Magnet," she said, gesturing to herself.

"Me too," he said, smiling. "Try to rest now. I'll wake you when Beckette and the doctor get here."

Touko nodded her head, her eyes already slipping closed. Clumsily, she moved her make-shift ice pack to N's chest and nestled into his side. His arms closed around her, making her feel utterly small and totally protected from the world that existed outside of them. As her eyes blinked closed, she gazed out the small, porthole window. In the moments before she was ushered off into sleep, she caught a glimpse of an odd, large, insect-like Pokemon carrying a single rider off into the night.

A thin sliver of bright morning light fell over Touko's face. She rubbed her eyes drowsily and slowly blinked the room into focus. She was still wrapped in N's arms, her face and his chest now covered in lukewarm water from the small ice cube tray. Hesitantly, she touched her hand to her jaw, probing the swollen flesh with her fingers. Though it still stung when she touched it, the majority of the pain had subsided. She closed her eyes, content to just lie there with N for a few minutes before rising to face the day. The world, however, was content to keep spinning. A sudden knock came to their door, jolting N out of his sound sleep.

"Beckette?" he groaned groggily, stumbling sleepily to his feet. "What the hell took you so long?" he grumbled, pulling open the door.

Standing before him was a sleep-weary young man in a police uniform. "Sorry to disturb you, Sir, but we are advising all passengers to stay in their rooms this morning."

"Why is that, Officer?" N inquired.

"There was a bit of an incident last night. Nothing to worry about, really; we're just taking all necessary precautions to ensure your continued safety."

"I'm sorry, but that didn't really answer my question. What precisely happened last night?" N pressed.

"Sir, there's nothing to worry about. Please step back into your room now or I'll be forced to—"

"Oh God!" a woman in a white doctor's jacket wailed as she was ushered past their room by another police officer. Her hands and clothes were drenched in blood. "That poor man," she sniffed. "I did everything I could for him, but he couldn't be saved," she sobbed, crumpling to floor. "I've never seen such brutality…"

"Ma'am, come on. Let's get you to your room," he guard urged.

N pushed past the stunned police officer in his doorway and kneeled down next to the ship's doctor. "Doctor," he asked softly, "the man who died…did you know him?"

"We went to college together," she sniffed miserably.

"Was his name David Beckette?" N asked, afraid of the answer. She nodded weakly, tears trailing down her face. "He was a friend of mine too. I know it may be difficult for you, but could please tell me how he died?"

Her eyes widened and she hastily pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her coat pocket. She grabbed N's hand and shoved the piece of paper into his sweaty palm, pulling him close to her body. She put her lips to his ears and in a tortured whisper said: "His tongue was cut out. As he lay there, drowning in his own blood, he was stabbed four times. I found this note pinned to his chest. I didn't give it to the police, just like it asked."

Suddenly, she pushed N away from her and wept uncontrollably. N returned to his and Touko's room, both police officers glaring daggers at him as they tried to console the sobbing woman.

"What was that about?" Touko asked, now standing near the entrance to the room.

"Beckette's been murdered," N said flatly, as he unfolded the note still stuck to his palm.

"What?" Touko asked incredulously. "Who would do such a thing?"

"Who do you think?" N hissed, handing her the blood-spattered note.

Scrawled in Blayre's neat, beautiful handwriting were the words:

_It's not polite to tell other people's secrets, Dr. Beckette. Even now, your tongue wags foolishly in my hand. Perhaps in death, you will finally know the value of silence_.

Touko squinted her eyes, trying desperately to read the messily and hastily scribbled words in the corner of the note.

_To the good doctor of the ship: if you turn this note into the police, please understand that you will meet a fate a thousand times worse than this fool; deliver it only to a man-child with long, green hair. If you fail to do so, well...don't say you weren't warned_.

"Get your things ready, Touko," N said, throwing all of his belongings into his bag. "We're Flying the rest of the way to Kanto."

"Right," she nodded, jumping to her feet.

"Keep your Pokemon close," N said, clipping his team's Pokeballs to his belt. "I've got a terrible feeling that we're headed right into another battle."

Hastily, she shoved her team in the satiny clutch she had been carrying the night before. Throwing all modesty to the wind, she slipped out of her party dress and quickly pulled on an old pair of jeans and a teal thermal. N, now a neon shade of red, followed suit, ditching his formal wear for dark denim jeans and a plain, black, long-sleeved T-shirt. They gave the room a once over and, against the advice of the authorities, ventured out in the ship.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N-Sorry about the crazy long break in between posts. College has started back up and I'm also involved in a fellowship this semester, so my life outside of school is pretty nonexistent. Anyway, thanks for being patient and I hope you enjoy, and will continue to enjoy, my story.

* * *

><p>"Hello? Is anyone in this room?"<p>

"Nygh," Atreyu groaned, still more asleep than awake.

A hard rap came to the door. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Wha?" he said, yawning as he rubbed his sleep-laden eyes. Another harsh, jolting series of knocks were unleashed on the door. He heaved a sigh and, with much effort, labored to his feet. "I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold your Rapidashes," he called wearily as he trudged to the door.

He pulled the heavy door open, perhaps with more force than was necessary, and surveyed the men standing before him. Serious expressions were plastered on their gaunt, sleep-weary faces. The younger of the two men flipped through a small notebook, pausing every now and then to jot down a note. This, however, was of no interest to Atreyu. The only thing he cared about was their clothing. They were dressed in the tale-tell navy of the police force.

_Oh, great_, he thought. _I wonder what they're here for this time_. "Good morning, Officers. How may I help you?" he said, trying his best to sound cordial despite his still drowsy body.

"Good morning, Sir," the senior officer said flatly. "We are here to inform you that there has been a minor incident involving one of the other passengers. There's nothing to be alarmed about, but we are asking that all of the passengers remain inside their cabins."

"Was someone hurt?" Atreyu asked.

"Given the ongoing nature of our investigation, we're not at liberty to discuss the details of this case. We assure you all necessary measures have been taken to protect all of the remaining passengers."

"Remaining?" Atreyu repeated incredulously. "Did someone—"

"Sir, please just don't leave your cabin," the junior officer pressed.

"But my brother—" Atreyu stammered.

The door swung shut abruptly in his face, sending him staggering backwards a few steps. He turned on the spot gracefully, scanning the vast luxury suite for any signs of his brother. His clothes were slung about the room, a clear indicator that Blayre had been there at one point in time. Atreyu hesitantly opened the door to his brother's room, afraid of waking him if he was in.

Atreyu sighed as his fears were confirmed. The bedroom was completely empty. The bed looked as though it hadn't even been touched. Sitting next to one of Blayre's many pairs of loafers was an open bottle of shoe polish and an old fashioned shoe shine kit. Atreyu rolled his eyes at his brother's vanity, smiling as he realized that the only thing Blayre had used his room for was to polish his shoes. It was a small comfort to him to know that some things never changed.

Atreyu sat down on the edge of the bed and surveyed his distorted reflection in the mirror-polished leather of his brother's shoes. Blayre's bitter mood had gone from bad to worse in the past month. On the rare days his brother was at home, he spent all of his time cooped up in his room. Atreyu would check on him from time to time, always finding him in the same place: seated at his piano, staring out blankly at the horizon. Sometimes, Atreyu could hear the faint sound of Blayre's piano as he lay awake at night; he was never sure if he was asleep and dreaming the beautiful, soft lullabies or if Blayre was playing him to sleep like he did when he was a child.

He smiled as he thought of those easy times. Everything had seemed so simple then; all of his problems could be solved by his brother's warm smile and cold eyes. When had everything changed? Where had the permanence in his life gone? His life had been swept out to sea with the tide and all he could do was try his best to not get pulled under by the current.

Atreyu stood up and stretched out his still sleepy muscles. He glanced around the lonely room a last time, taking in the strange vacancy that had come to define his brother, before exiting. As he walked to his room, picking up pieces of Blayre's discarded suit on the way, Atreyu could not shake a lingering sense of dread, as though this was the last his life would have any sort of semblance of normality to it.

He dressed hastily, not really caring what he looked like. He didn't even bother to properly brush out his hair, making it look much wilder than usual. He shoved what little money he carried on him in the pockets of his blazer along with a picture of his mother. He grabbed his team's Pokeballs from his bag and clipped them to his belt, his hands shaking as he snapped them into place. He had never been in a real battle before and wasn't really sure he'd know what to do if he found himself in one. He closed his left hand around his right wrist, feeling the cold touch of satin to his palm, and held his hand steady as he snapped the final ball into place.

_You can do this_, he told himself as he slipped on his newsboy cap. _You're just going to go find Blayre and come back to the room. There's nothing to be scared of at all_.

He sighed, wishing he even half believed what he had told himself. In the past month, Blayre wasn't the only one whose outlook on life had changed. Ever since his sixteenth birthday, a mere two weeks ago, Atreyu hadn't felt right. He tried to tell himself that it was all in his head, but he wasn't foolish enough to believe that lie either. He knew the true cause of his discomfort, of the constant doubt that now plagued him; it was hanging around his wrist.

It seemed to thud against his arm as he pulled open the door. Though it was a small, inconspicuous thing, the key he now wore felt as though it weighed close to twenty pounds. It weighed him down, made his movements slow and clunky. How Blayre could stand to wear his around his neck or how Noah could wear hers on her head was a mystery to him. Maybe it was something he would get used to in time; he hoped he would, anyway.

As he stepped out into the hallway, he could hear the heavy thud of shoes on carpeted flooring. He inched cautiously down the hallway, practically holding his breath, unsure of what he expected to happen to him. _Get out of my head_, he thought, shaking his head in frustration. He closed his eyes and let his head thud against the wall, waiting until the fresh wave of sickness in the pit of his stomach passed. As he let his eyes slip back open, he caught sight of a green and pink blur at the end of the hallway. As it passed, the sound grew fainter until, gradually, the only sound he could hear was his own breathing.

With a deep breath, he gathered all the nerve he had and headed for the upper deck in search of his irresponsible, vain, and oblivious older brother.

The hallways of the ship were unsettlingly quiet. The only sound that pierced the unnatural silence was the pounding of N and Touko's tennis shoes against the floor as they ran through the narrow halls. By the time the two reached the leisure deck, Touko was thoroughly exhausted; stitches were sewn deep in her sides and her breath came uncomfortably fast.

"Oh, please…no more…running," she huffed, resisting N's pull on her hand.

"Alright," he heaved, pulling her to the floor with him as he sat down. He too was exhausted; his forehead was covered in sweat, making his bangs stick to his face in an unpleasant way. He mopped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt as he caught his breath, too tired to care that about hygiene. "I severely underestimated the size of this ship," he said, taking a deep breath.

"Tell me about it," Touko groaned. "It's been ages since I've ran this far that quickly. I feel like my legs are going to fall off."

"Sorry," he said flatly. "I forgot to—"

"Don't worry about it, N. We needed to get here quickly anyway, right? It's better that we rushed. Plus, my legs are taking my mind off my jaw," she said brightly.

"How is it today? I was so distracted earlier, I forgot to ask you," he said, brushing her hair away from her face so he could inspect the bruise.

"It's much better. It doesn't really hurt unless I think about, and even then it only stings a little," she said, trying to brush off the question. N fussed over her worse than her mother did.

"Most of the swelling is gone," he said, running his fingers over her lightly purpled skin. "And your bruise isn't so bad either. It'll probably clear up in a few days." He pulled his hand away and, as he had done the night before, pressed his lips hesitantly to the contusion and kissed it as lightly as he could. "You are very lucky, Touko. You could have fractured your jaw."

"Maybe our luck's turning around," she said cheerfully. "After the way things have been going for us, I'd say we're long overdue for something good to happen."

"I hope you are right. Can you imagine living the rest our lives like this?" N asked, gesturing to their surroundings.

"You know, at this point, I don't think I'd even notice. Running from strange men with ulterior motives has been a big part of my life for the last three years," she said jokingly, playfully elbowing N in the side. "I honestly don't think I'd know what to do with myself if my life became normal all of a sudden."

"I suppose I wouldn't either," he said thoughtfully, a light blush still in his cheeks from Touko's little joke. "When you're raised as a prince and told every day that you are going to be a mythical hero, I don't really know if there is a normal." He paused for a moment and looked out toward the horizon. "Actually, my time with you, as unconventional as it may seem to you, has been the closest I've ever come to being a normal person—having friends, going places, seeing the world as it really is…and _this_," he said, gesturing between the two of them.

"I don't think I ever imagined having anything close to this my whole life…being close and vulnerable to someone without being afraid. I still don't know what to make of it," he said softly.

"Me either," she said sweetly, taking his hand in hers.

They sat together in silence, enjoying each others company as they gazed out at the sea. Wingulls would flutter passed every once in a while, making obnoxious calls as they flew overhead. Every once in a while N would chuckle at them, a little smile spreading across his face. Even though they were stuck in a positively horrible situation, they both could find something to smile about. Touko wished she could make this moment last forever.

"We should be going now," N said, pulling Touko to her feet as he stood up. "I think we should be close enough to Kanto now to make it without Reshiram or Zekrom getting exhausted."

They walked forward across the eerily empty deck, the pools vacant for likely the first time since the ship was built. Touko gazed about the deck, searching for the face she had seen so often in her nightmares. She could still feel his cold, blood-drenched hands closed around her neck when she thought of Blayre's cold blue eyes. She could still hear that low, throaty laugh echoing in her mind as he toyed with her. And then there was that kiss.

Revolting.

Brutal.

Haunting.

"Touko?" N asked.

"Huh?" she said, snapping out of her daze.

"I asked if you'd mind if we took Reshiram. During the day, Zekrom is just too conspicuous to Fly around on."

"Oh, I don't mind. I'm sure Zekrom wouldn't mind the rest either," she replied.

N nodded and unclipped Reshiram's Pokeball from his belt. He held it out in front him, pressing the center button to enlarge it. He drew his hand back to throw the ball and release the Pokémon inside of it; his hand, however, dropped to his side, Pokemon unreleased, when he heard the soft click of shoes on the deck behind him.

N turned around slowly, afraid of who he would see approaching them. Touko, who had already jumped back in fear, heaved deep, painful breaths beside him. Her deep blue eyes were wide with fear as she took in the grisly, deranged looking man. Blayre's long, dark hair was matted and tangled, as though he had been trying to pull it out while simultaneously rolling in the dirt. He had deep, dark circles etched beneath his eyes, making him look as though he hadn't slept in a very long time.

He sauntered past them wordlessly, his eyes unfocused and glazed, and stopped at the edge of one of the luxury liner's many swimming pools. He kicked off his shoes, which were uncharacteristically plain, and sat down. He let his long legs dangle in the water, kicking them back and forth like a child, and gazed up at the sky. He held his hands up in front of his still upturned face and gazed at them thoughtfully, as though he were inspecting a complicated work of modern art.

His lips trembled as though he were on the verge of tears as he nonchalantly picked as the blackened, dried blood that still clung to his fingernails. He slumped forward and stuck his hands in the water. The cool, soothing liquid caressed his skin and washed away the remnants of the life he had taken, spiraling out and away from his hands in elegant crimson ribbons. After his hand were made clean again, he let himself sink down on to his back and stare absently at the sky.

Touko and N stood in silence as they watched their bizarre-looking tormentor. Still oblivious to their presence, Blayre untied the long, blue satin ribbon he wore around his neck. He held it out in front of his face and let the glittering key attached to it sway pendulously with the breeze. He closed his eyes and drew the key to his lips. Though she could not hear him, Touko knew that Blayre was speaking softly to the key.

"What's wrong with him?" Touko asked, finally breaking the heavy silence.

"The same thing that has always been wrong with him—he's a monster," N said flatly.

"But, N, don't you think he looks like he's in pain…or like he regrets what he's done?"

"No amount of grief in the world will ever change his nature. Brutality defines his existence now," N said, disgust coloring his voice. "He's not human; he can't understand what it means to feel pain or sorrow."

Touko grabbed N's chin and turned his face toward hers; his bright, emerald eyes shone with shock and curiosity as she held his gaze. "Don't forget, N, it wasn't so long ago that people said the same thing about you."

Her words cut into him like a knife. She was actually comparing him to Blayre—the thought was repulsive to him. "Yes, but I never earned the title of a beast. I never once laid my hands on anyone with the intention of hurting or killing them," he said darkly. "How can you defend him after what he's done to you?"

"I…" she started hesitantly. "I don't know. Up until this moment, all I've wanted to do to that man is pummel him. But, seeing him like this, I just…I don't know."

"Touko," N said, a sick little smile spreading on his face. "You always see the good in people, even when there's none there." He lightly pushed her bangs out of her face, his smile fading as he held her gaze. "I've known men like him my whole life. Trust me when I say that what you see is a sham—a copy of a copy of true emotion. He knows nothing of real regret or longing."

Blayre let out a brittle chuckle and turned to look at the bickering couple. His bright blue eyes were free if the fog that had engulfed them mere moments ago. A light, disdainful smile tugged at the corners of his dry lips as he sat up. "Though it might be quite contrary to what you believe," Blayre said, "my life could be a study in both of those detestable emotions."

He swung his legs stiffly out of the water and clumsily rose to his feet. As he staggered forward his legs shook and seem in danger of crumpling beneath his weight. "Hey, Doll," he called to Touko. "What a nice girl you are, standing up for me like that. I came horribly close to feeling bad about how I treated you before."

He came to a stop a few meters away from the couple. N had reflexively positioned himself between Touko and Blayre; though he was small framed and lithe, he towered before her as solidly as a brick wall. Blayre rolled his ocean deep eyes at him and playfully cocked his head so that he could see past him. He flashed Touko a Cheshire Cat grin and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket.

"Got a light?" he asked, twirling a cigarette between his thumb and index finger. He laughed as he took in Touko's bewildered expression. "Oh, come on; don't play dumb. We both know what those pretty little red shards are capable of doing."

"So you admit what Beckette said was the truth—about your family?" N asked, his voice full of ice.

"For someone who is supposed to be intelligent, your boyfriend sure is slow on the uptake," Blayre said, refusing to address N. Touko could hear N's teeth grinding together as he strained to keep control of himself. "Good Doctor Beckette really was a careless man. He had so many slips of the tongue that he was lucky he held on to it as long as he did."

"Do you see what I mean now?" N asked Touko. She stood shaking as the icy waves of Blayre's odd little joke washed over her. Left speechless by both his cruelty and her own naivety, all she could do was nod.

"I am _wounded_," Blayre said melodramatically, clutching his chest in mock pain. "Doll—"

"My name is Touko," she spat. Any trace of pity she had felt for him was long gone.

"I'm well aware of that," he said, slightly taken aback by the force with which she had spoken. "You're just so adorable and fragile—like an oversized doll come to life. It suits you, Doll," he goaded.

"Don't look at her like that," N hissed. His emerald eyes flashed with rage as he watched Blayre appraise Touko with open and unabashed lustful intentions. "I swear, if you ever lay another finger on her—"

"Why shouldn't I look at her?" Blayre asked. "She doesn't belong to you, Your Majesty, and I am not one of your subjects."

"If you keep looking at her like that, I am going to have your teeth for a necklace," N growled, balling his hands into fists as though he were about to make good on the threat.

"And I'm the monster," Blayre mocked. "But, I suppose people from broken homes can't really help how they behave. What's that old saying? Violence begets only violence; and, like it or not, Princey, you know that deep down, you are just as ugly and brutal as I am. We are one and the same, you—"

"Shut up!" Touko shouted, her face now bright red. "All you do is talk, talk, talk. You play your sick little game with us, treat us however you like, while you sit back laughing. Well, say whatever you like about me—hell, you can even think whatever perverted thoughts you want about me—but don't pretend to know the first thing about N.

"You are nothing compared to him," she said, popping open the satin clutch which contained her team. She hastily grabbed the first Pokeball her trembling hand could find. She could feel her key emanating its preternatural heat as she enlarged it. "He would never do anything even one tenth as evil as what you've done here."

"Are you really so sure of that?" Blayre asked as he pulled a Pokeball from the internal pocket of his suit jacket. His face lit up with excitement as he rolled the little ball between his fingers. He prayed that she was as fiery in battle as she was when he had stolen that kiss from her. He could still remember how sweet she had tasted before she had bit down on his tongue.

"Yes," she said. _Otherwise, I wouldn't love him_.

"Touko, are you sure you want to battle him?" N asked, his voice pregnant with worry.

"I'm sure," she said, flashing him a bright smile. "I didn't get to be Champion of the Unova region for nothing. You should know that."

N nodded in understanding. He moved to step back and allow her space to battle but hesitated for a moment. Hastily and somewhat tremulously, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, catching Touko completely by surprise. He wrapped his arms around her and planted a passionate kiss on her full, willing lips. Their embrace, which felt long overdue to both of them, was interrupted by a loud pop followed by a bright flash of light; Blayre had sent out his Pokémon.

"For luck," he whispered in her ear as she pulled away. "Be safe."


	22. Chapter 22

"I think I may vomit," Blayre groaned as he watched the couple embrace. "Must you two paw at each other every time I lay eyes on you? It was bad enough watching your little romp in the tent the other day. Your mother must be _so_ proud, Doll."

Touko spun on her heels, fists clenched in anger and a light pink blush across her cheeks as the sting of Blayre's words bit at her propriety. "And just how wa—"

Before she could continue, however, she found herself being forcefully turned by the shoulders. Confused and taken aback, she practically fell into N's embrace as he pulled her to him. She let out a little, raspy gasp of surprise as he laced his long, nimble fingers through her hair and pulled her up to his lips. The light pink blush that had painted Touko's cheeks now darkened to a bright shade of crimson as she luxuriated in what she was sure was some stupid, primal masculine display of superiority. As annoying as that thought was, the little longed for waves of electricity that his lips sent shooting up her spine were anything but irritating.

"Now I'm actually going to vomit," Blayre said disgustedly, watching as the two made eyes at each before breathlessly separating from each other.

He was met in return by no mouthful of carefully chosen insults of clever comebacks. N simply smiled and watched with love-drunk admiration and smug, unabashed pride as Touko stumbled back towards Blayre, a dazed look of pleasure and confusion on her face. Sourly, he crossed his arms, fuming inside as he tried to shut out the nagging, clawing pangs of jealousy that festered in the pit of his stomach. His bright blue eyes gleamed with malice as he idly stroked the little yellow and black Pokémon that was perched on his shoulder.

"Well, hurry up, Doll. I've already given you a huge advantage in letting you choose your Pokémon second, you know. You shouldn't abuse my generosity. Isn't that right, Emolga?" Blayre said sweetly to his Pokémon, scratching it lovingly beneath the chin. The black, yellow, and white little flying-squirrel like Pokémon cocked its head to the side as it appraised her, little flairs of electricity sparking from its cheeks. Its rounded, mouse-like ears twitched with excitement as it rubbed against Blayre's cheek.

Touko enlarged the random Pokeball she had pulled from her bag, her head still swimming from her passionate and unexpected embrace with N. She took a few deep breaths to orient herself, but his scent clung to her clothes and with every, deep, steady breath she took, she found herself distracted. When her thoughts should only have been focused on defeating the man in front of her, it was all she could do to keep herself from getting lost in the memory of how wonderfully sweet N tasted.

As she faced down her tormentor and his adorable battle partner, trying to shake off her school girl like longing, she could not help but feel ill at ease. Blayre and his Emolga seemed perfectly comfortable with each other. The little mouse like Pokémon constantly nuzzled into Blayre's neck, demanding his full attention like a needy child. The Typhlosion he had used to battle N had barely obeyed him and even then they had managed to get in some impressive shots against Liepard. If the bond between Blayre and his Emolga was anywhere near as strong as it appeared to be, she was in for a tough battle.

Touko took a deep breath (both regretting and thoroughly savoring the action as she was once again hit with N's scent) and tossed out the Pokeball she had clutched in her hand. The little ball snapped open, producing a deafening pop and a nearly blinding flash of light. With a great and heavy thud, Touko's Serperior landed as gracefully as he could on the deck of the ship. The massive snake uncoiled itself sluggishly, still drowsy from its confinement. His many leafy scales glistened brightly in the now noon sun as he soaked up its soothing rays. His red eyes locked on to the jittering little Emolga, his nostrils flaring in both irritation at the Pokémon's excitement and anticipation of the imminent battle.

_Electric types aren't very effective against grass types_, Touko thought, a relaxed smirk spreading across her lips. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all...why the hell is __**he**__ laughing? _

Blayre was indeed laughing quite heartily, although his deep, lyrical voice did have a brittle, frail quality to it. His Emolga had fallen on to its belly and was flapping its arms and legs up and down as though it too was having a good laugh at Touko and Serperior's expense. Blayre's bare feet, still wet from the water of the pool, slipped on the polished wood of the deck as he threw his head back, thoroughly beside himself with laughter.

"And just what is so funny?" Touko steamed, half yelling her question in frustration. Serperior, equally annoyed at having been mocked by such a tiny, cute Pokémon and his uncouth master, slithered behind Touko and stretched to his full height, making her seem all the more imposing. He hissed moodily, baring his large and imposing fangs, as he stared down the still rowdy, energetic little electric rodent.

"I'm sorry," Blayre said, catching his breath with melodramatic, deep, rattling gasps. "But that silly look you had on your face was just too much. It was like you thought you had some kind of advantage over me," he taunted, choking back a snortle of laughter.

"Did that punch N gave you break your perverted brain? Serperior is a grass type and Emolga is an electric type. I _do_ have the advantage over you," she spat.

"Touko—" N said hesitantly, as though he were about to correct her.

"Well, then, I guess you don't really have anything to worry about then. I'm probably just being an ass," Blayre interjected, holding his arms out in exasperation.

Ignoring Touko's several shrill expletives, he made a beckoning gesture with the index finger of his hand. Excitedly, his Emolga teetered down his arm and into the palm of his hand. With a reassuring nod from Blayre, the little Pokémon dove out of his hand with astonishing speed, disappearing for a moment in a blur of yellow and black. The Pokémon reappeared again as it glided to the ground, its wing-like flaps of skin slowing it down to a safe landing speed. Restlessly, it twittered about the space between Blayre and Touko, stomping its feet now and again in what was meant to be an intimidating way.

"Go, Serperior," Touko commanded, pointing to the impromptu battle field. "Don't hold anything back, even if your opponent is an annoyingly cute little rat."

As Serperior slithered forward, N and Blayre both could sense the fire inside of her. It flared in her eyes as she directed and positioned her battle partner. She was forceful yet, familiar and caring; graceful and feminine, yet strong and assertive as she gestured to Serperior. She truly was a sight to behold in battle; it was almost as though the field was her natural environment, the place where she best belonged.

"Emolga," Blayre said calmly to the still dancing little rodent, "Doesn't our opponent look lovely? She's like a Valkyrie. Do you think she's here to claim me as her hero? No, no; I think she's her to claim this lowly mortal as her lover."

"Serperior, use Leaf Blade!" Touko called, her blood boiling with disgust as she took in Blayre's smug face.

The leafy bundle at the end of Serperior's tail began to glow a light shade of green. The great serpent coiled tightly in on itself, like a compressed spring, as it gathered energy. Blayre's Emolga had finally stopped dancing and watched Serperior's now pulsating tail with great and child-like fascination; it almost seemed as though it were tempted to stroll over and give Serperior's tail a good and hearty poke. The glowing portion of the great serpent's tail began to twitch and jerk as though it had a mind of its own, making it all the more tantalizing for the little Pokémon.

Suddenly, Serperior's tail came down in front of the Emolga, leaving a wide, splintering hole in the ship's deck. The little Emolga, however, was completely unfazed by the heavy blow and continued to stare at the glowing object it so desired to touch and play with. Before its curiosity could get the better of it, Serperior brought its tail down again; it cut the air so quickly and powerfully, a light wind blew through Touko's hair as she aimed her Pokémon's blows. It landed with a sickening crunch, reducing the deck to warped and splintered rubble.

The little Emolga danced out of the way of the blow before it was even close to making contact with it. Where Serperior had sheer, brute power and strength, Emolga had speed. As it now glided and weaved around Serperior's ever frantic attacks, it appeared as nothing more than a yellowish blur. It landed only when it thought it was close enough to sneak a touch of Serperior's strange, glowing tail, which was quickly becoming dimmer.

Touko knew that she had a limited amount of time to utilize Leaf Blade before Serperior would have to power up again. She had only one chance to land a hit on the infuriatingly adorable little rodent. Quickly, she darted forward and bent close to Serperior's head, whispering to him feverishly. The great snake gave a weary nod of his head and gestured for her to return to her place.

She sighed as she rushed back to her spot opposite Blayre, who eyed her suspiciously; she didn't like using such tactics, but she had no other option. Serperior glared at his opponent, the tip of his tail now barely twitching. Emolga, who was still just wandering about the field of its own accord, inched ever closer to Serperior's tail. Blayre watched the amusing charade as though it were a common occurrence in his life; his eyes, though still hazed and slightly wild looking, were focused almost exclusively on Touko.

Finally, the Emolga had snuck its way close enough to touch the barely flickering tail of his opponent. Its tiny body shook with excitement as it hesitantly reached out towards the great snake; a few squeaks of delight even escaped from it as it closed its dainty hand around the tip of the snake's tail. Emolga shuddered with happiness as it shook Serperior's tail around, yanking and pulling on it like a kitten fighting a string.

"Now, Serperior!" Touko shouted, motioning upward gracefully with her left arm.

Blayre's Emolga found itself yanked very suddenly from its feet, holding on to the snake's tail for dear life as it soared violently through the air. Like a conductor giving a down beat, Touko brought her left arm back down in an easy, fluid motion. As Blayre watched Emolga, who was now too terrified to make a move on its own, sail toward the ground, he smiled.

"Use Aerial Ace, Emolga," he said brightly, unable to keep the boyish grin that was playing on his lips from seeping in to his voice.

Reinvigorated by Blayre's voice, Emolga snapped out of its terror induced stupor and simply let go of Serperior's tail. As it plummeted in free-fall, the Pokémon spread its arms wide and caught the air with its odd, wing-like skin flaps. Propelled by the startling force with which Serperior had pulled it towards the ground with, the little squirrel-like Pokémon circled the great snake with awesome speed, once again disappearing into a yellow blur.

Serperior slashed the air with its tail, trying to knock his opponent out of the air, but it was no use; Emolga's size and speed simply could not be matched by the great serpent. Without warning, Serperior rocked violently from side to side, as though it were being pushed by an invisible hand. As Touko tried in vain to keep the massive Pokémon from toppling over, she noticed that a series of cuts and bruised had appeared on its torso and face.

Just as she had very nearly finished righting Serperior's balance, there came the dull, stomach-turning crunch of a critical hit. With a feeble, weak hiss, the great snake slumped to the ground. As if being defeated by such a small Pokémon wasn't humiliating enough for Serperior, Blayre's Emolga chose to ride it down to the deck like a miniature cowboy. Touko, being the gentle and caring trainer she was, had never really hated a Pokémon before; this particular Emolga, however, was far too similar to Blayre for her to ever consider it likable. With much glee, Emolga scampered back over to Blayre and, with an elated squeal, eagerly returned to its Pokeball.

"How strange that you should lose to me when you _clearly_ had the advantage," Blayre said, purposefully jabbing his finger into the gashing wound the loss had left in Touko's pride. "You'd think an experienced trainer like yourself—The Champion of the Unova region—would know that Emolga isn't a pure electric-type Pokémon.

"Oh!" he said, tapping his temple with index finger as though he had just came to startling some realization. "I think Princey was going to correct you, but I guess we both just a got a little too caught up in our battle to notice he was even still there. Though, who could blame us for that? He is so terribly dull. That must be why he can't get laid. As soon as you get in bed with him you're just lulled into a stupor.

"You know—" he started, his voice positively dripping with ego. His boasting and jeering were cut short, however, when Touko's well-aimed and heavily pitched Pokeball made solid contact with his nose. Blood trickled down his creamy white skin, the crimson liquid contrasting it in a stark and lovely way as it streaked down to his chin. He cursed loudly, holding his nose in anguish as he glared icy daggers at N, who was beside himself with laughter.

Perfectly satisfied with herself, Touko patted the large, ape-like Pokémon she had just released, completely ignoring Blayre's loud and free-flowing swears. Darmanitan surveyed the noisy man with suspicious distaste, scooting closer and closer to Touko as he watched Blayre compose himself. With much disdain and furrowed brow, Blayre wiped the blood from beneath his nose with the sleeve of his suit's jacket. He frowned melancholically as he took in the dark stains that now marred one of his favorite suits.

As he surveyed the now ruined sleeve of his jacket, he realized that the inconsequential amount of blood that was oozing from his nose could not have created such a large, dark stain. The entire cuff of his jacket was drenched, as though he had submerged his hands in the body cavity of some bleeding, wriggling thing. But, rather than wet and dripping, his sleeves were stiff and heavy, caked in the dried blood of some unknown victim.

"What is this?" he said quietly, his voice trembling as he inspected his blood splattered clothing. He pulled at his shirt frantically, as though it were burning him, a manic, pained look in his eyes. "What have I done?"

Touko stared at him in disbelief. "You know very well what you've done. You were joking about it not twenty minutes ago," she hissed, remembering Blayre's untimely, morbid joke about Beckette's slippery tongue.

"Twenty minutes ago…" Blayre whispered, clutching his head in his hands. "The fog is so thick there, I can't see passed it. No, no, no—this isn't right!" he cried, pulling at his long, matted hair. "How is it that I came to be here?" he whimpered, sinking to his knees as frail tears streaked down his face. "Oh, what have I done—no, what have _you_ made me do, Sister?"

"Sister?" N repeated, incredulously as he came to Touko's side.

"The Eyes of the Gate," Blayre sputtered feebly. "The Guardian of—" he choked, clutching his stomach in silent agony. His breathing was ragged and shallow and his bitter, heart-wrenching tears streaked his long, elegant face like rain on glass. Slowly, he pulled the long, blue satin ribbon he wore tied about his neck from beneath his shirt. He pressed his light pink lips to the small, silver sapphire-encrusted skeleton key and whispered to it softly and incoherently.

Against her better judgment, Touko returned Darmanitan to his Pokeball and, with N following carefully behind her, walked to her crumpled, incapacitated opponent. "Blayre, do you need help?" she asked softly, kneeling down next to him. Hesitantly, she put her hand on his shoulder and gingerly rubbed it as he sobbed.

Without any warning, he grabbed her and pulled her into a tight, child-like hug. His tears splashed down on to her neck as he held her to him, much to N's chagrin. However much he disliked Blayre, he couldn't deny that there was no malice or devious intent behind his action. He was genuinely confused and hurt, feelings with which N could sympathize with greatly.

"Take me to the sky," he said, his voice small and distant. "Take me to the boundless, limitless oblivion of the open world. Let me breathe the free air again."

"The sky?" Touko repeated, still somewhat stunned over Blayre's vulnerability.

"It's in my heart," he babbled. "It lives inside of me. Just like it lives in him," he said, pointing weakly at N. "But she stole it away from me long ago. I've tried for so long to get it back, but she's hidden it from me. That's why I have to open it."

"What do you have to open, Blayre?" Touko pressed, feeling slightly guilty for taking advantage of Blayre in his current state. Then she remembered how hard he had tried to take advantage of her in the past and the small pang of guilt dissolved quickly.

"The gate," he said breathlessly. "But her eyes…they're always watching. Can't you feel them?" he said, lifting his key to Touko's face. "Always watching," he said, his voice cracking as he grabbed his stomach in pain once again. His breathing, which had evened out, became raspy and brittle, leaving him gasping even as he sat still. "Take me…to the sky…" he pleaded as his eyes slid closed.

"Blayre? Blayre!" Touko shouted, shaking him roughly. He did not stir; he was limp in her arms. Hastily, she pressed her fingers to the tender flesh of his neck, searching for any signs of life. She exhaled a sigh of relief as she felt the steady, clear beating of his heart on the tips of her fingers. "He's passed out," she said to N as she awkwardly tried to position the unconscious man against her body.

"That certainly was an interesting little conversation he had with you," N said, sitting down next to the pair on the deck.

"Yeah," she said, nodding weakly. "I wonder if any of it was true."

"Given his track record, I would say none of it. However, he seemed truly afraid and confused by his presence and actions here. I don't rea—"

"Get back," Blayre wheezed, his eyes popping open suddenly.

"Take it easy," N said calmly. "You've just fainted."

"Get back now!" Blayre hissed, pushing Touko off of him as he scrambled to his feet. "This ache," he moaned, clutching his stomach as though it had a gaping wound carved in it. "What is this new witchcraft?"

Touko stood now behind N, who, after pulling her to her feet, had positioned himself between her and Blayre. His bright, emerald eyes flared like green flames as he stared down the weak, disoriented man. Between his thumb and index finger, N rolled a small Pokeball as he watched Blayre stumbled and stagger on his feet.

Blayre's body now seemed beyond his control. His arms jerked in odd, grotesque ways that seemed to defy the natural shape of the human body. His long legs shuffled and slipped clumsily beneath him, threatening to send him toppling over at any second. Touko and N watched this bizarre dance, the seriousness of the situation utterly lost to them as they watched the nearly laughter inducing fit. Finally, after several minutes of spastic motions, Blayre's motions became smooth and fluid. He stood perfectly still before them and stared blankly at them, as though he were seeing into some far off place.

"Blayre?" Touko asked, her voice cracking with fear of what the answer might be

He stood silently before them, his eyes now fully glazed and unfocused, and pulled a Pokeball from the inside pocket of his jacket. He held it out in his hand for a moment before enlarging it and tossing it out into the space between him and N. Blayre's Dragonite landed with a thud on the ship's deck. The orange dragon, which was modestly sized compared to Reshiram and Zekrom, stood over a foot taller than N, who it eyed with a great deal of curiosity. Her curiosity for N, however, was nothing compared to the look of fascination she had when she beheld her master.

She cocked her head to the side curiously and made a low, pained keen. Hesitantly, she approached him, bending her scaly snout down to the top of his head. Blayre motioned for her to return to the field flatly, completely disgrarding her gesture of concern. N's eyes widened as he listened to the series of sad, low cries the little dragon let out as it plodded back in front of him.

"Your friend is not himself, is he?" N asked her gently.

_No. He smells like her. _

"Who is her?" N pressed.

_I cannot say. Mister Blayre will get punished again if we tell… _

"What do you mean punished?"

_I cannot say. _

"Please, we don't mean to hurt him. We're trying to help him. Just tell us who is hurting him," N implored.

"Wing Attack," Blayre said flatly, his voice a dull, monotone facsimile of his normal tone. The petite dragon charged forward with amazing speed and took gracefully to the air, its wings spread wide. Before N could release his Pokémon, the dragon sailed back down at him, making him fall to the deck to avoid taking the hit. "Sky Drop," Blayre directed, bringing his hands up to his head and clutching it as though it were about to crack open. Still his face remained placid and expressionless, though his body seemed to shake as a ripple of pain shot through him.

_I'm sorry, but I have to do this for her_, Blayre's Dragonite whimpered as she rocketed down toward him as he lie stunned on his stomach, his long hair wrapping about him like a bushy green tail.

His fingers searched the deck around him for the Pokeball he had held between his thumb and forefingers. In his haste to avoid being struck by the dragon's powerful Wing Attack it had managed to slip from his hand. Above him, he could hear the rush of air as the dragon cut it with razor like precision as she swooped down to pick him up in her claws. The little Pokeball was rolling wildly just out of his reach and, though he frantically stretched and reached for it, he could not grasp it. The shadow of the dragon above, which had been small and inconsequential moments ago, now loomed over him ominously. N closed his eyes, bracing for the seemingly inevitable clawed embrace.

Instead of the grip of strong claws, he felt the brush of soft of velveteen fur against his hands. He opened his eyes to find that he was encased in the tell-tale hazy blue circular force field of Protect. The Espeon that had adopted Touko sat next to him, its strange forked tail flicking from side to side as it watched Blayre's Dragonite reflect off its generated barrier. Sensing N's awe, it cocked its head over its shoulder haughtily and gave him a solid whack to the face with its tail before slashing open its Protect field.

Head held high, the purple cat-like Pokémon sauntered forward in front of N, swatting his dropped Pokeball back to him at it passed him. Touko rushed forward and pulled N to his feet, giving him a once over with her eyes before turning her attention back to Blayre. He was lying crumpled on the ground, his knees drawn up to his chest. A small trickle of blood dripped down from several small fingernail cuts on his face. Still he clutched at his head, his mouth hanging open in wordless torture while his body wriggled beyond his control like a fish yanked from the water.

"Dragon claw," he croaked, limply pointing his Pokémon toward Touko's Espeon.

The dragon let out a low, miserable keen as it lumbered forward towards the expectant Espeon, its powerful left upper limb drawn back as it charged forward. The red gem on Espeon's forehead glittered brightly in the brilliant sun, soaking up its energizing rays like a solar sponge, as the Pokémon readied itself to attack.

"Use Psybeam, Espeon!" Touko shouted, watching with morbid fascination as Blayre clawed at his own skin as though it were made of fire. _If only I could get past that Dragonite, I might be able to help him…_she thought.

Blayre's Dragonite swiped at Espeon, its glowing white claws making solid contact with the Pokémon's side. Espeon staggered back a bit, wincing slightly as the hurt of the heavy blow spread through its small frame. As the pain eased, the Pokémon crouched down low, its forked tail swishing behind it furiously. Its red gem began to glow, slowly pulsating like a strobe light as Espeon harvested psychic energy to use for its attack.

With a low, guttural growl, Espeon released a bright, brilliant rainbow like beam from its jewel. The beautiful, mysterious beam left little ripples in the air as it passed through it, as though the particles had been disrupted. Dragonite, command less and eager to end the battle, made no attempt to avoid the attack at all. She let it hit her full on in her soft underbelly, sending her staggering back so far that she almost stepped on her ill master.

The dragon shook her head to and fro, stumbling slightly as she tried to stay on her feet, Psybeam's confusion making her unstable on her naturally solid legs. Oblivious to her condition, Blayre ordered her to once again attack with Dragon Claw. Touko winced as she watched the confused Pokémon savagely slash at its own body, its own attacks now super effective against itself. She groaned miserably as she snapped out of her confusion, now on the verge of fainting.

"Stop this," N implored Touko. "This battle is senseless."

"Bla—" Touko began, her words cut off by the pounding of feet against the hardwood of the ship's deck.

"Blayre?" Atreyu called, his voice weak and full of disbelief. Touko and N both stared incredulously as the boy who not a day ago healed Espeon rushed passed them, completely disregarding them. He quickly fell to his knees and gently scooped his brother into his arms, holding him as still as he could as Blayre thrashed around.

"What is wrong with you two?" he hissed as tried his best to quiet his babbling brother. "Can't you see he is unwell?"

"You know him?" N asked, his voice full of incredulity.

Atreyu let the question roll off of him, too angry and frightened to really answer N. Instead, he unclipped Viola's Pokeball from his belt and set her to work healing the badly injured Dragonite. As his Audino tended to the Pokémon, he carefully peeled off Blayre's ripped and soiled jacket, tossing it aside as he inspected his brother for any physical harm.

"Sky, Trey, sky," Blayre gurgled, his voice as rough as sand paper. With much effort, he gently placed his hand on Atreyu's cheek, caressing it lovingly. His body, though still convulsing lightly, was finally back in his control. "Sky."

"I know," Atreyu said, smiling through the thin veil of tears that were close to breaking free from his eyes. "Once Viola heals Dragonite, she's going to take us up really high. Then, when we get home, I'm going to fix you, okay?"

"Stitches?" Blayre asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"No, no stitches. You just need to drink some medicine, remember?" Atreyu cooed, wiping the sweat and filth from his brother's forehead with his blazer's sleeve. "I'm going to have to make up a new batch of anti-venom, but there's enough time for that."

"Noah will go?"

"She's already gone, Blayre. Be quiet now; you'll hurt yourself If you are too active."

Blayre huffed something like a chuckle and tapped his brother playfully on the cheek. "Talking to me like a child when you are the baby," he groaned.

Atreyu rolled his eyes at him as he pulled off his blazer. Carefully, he wrapped it over Blayre's weak, limp arms. "Can one of you help me?" he asked darkly, as he wrapped his arm about his trembling brother. Putting aside his intense dislike for Blayre, N kneeled down on Blayre's free side and wrapped his arm around. "On three," Atreyu said, motioning toward the now healed Dragonite.

Blayre groaned in mock disgust as he realized that it was N rather than Touko who walked him to his dragon. As he was led past her, in signature fashion, he locked eyes with her for a moment before blowing her a childish, yet still clearly impure, good-bye kiss. Touko winced as she saw a look of unabated hatred flash in N's eyes. She could not, however, help but smile as N placed the limp and floppy Blayre on the back of the dragon with just a little more force than was necessary.

"Thank you," Atreyu grumbled as he lumbered up on to Dragonite's back, lacing his arms securely around Blayre.

N nodded weakly and stepped away from the dragon, his arms folded in annoyance at never having gotten an answer from Atreyu. The little orange dragon spread her wings and, with much more effort than was normally required, lifted off the ground sluggishly. As they ascended into the vast sky, Blayre smiled his Cheshire Cat grin and reached out blindly for the horizon.

"You wanna know how I know him? He's my brother," Atreyu called down to N as they sped off into the distance.

"Shut up," Touko said, her and N's mouths both practically hanging open in shock. "I can't believe the sweet, good natured kid who helped Espeon could even possibly be related to that perv. I mean—" she started, cut off by Espeon's insistent pawing. During the odd parting, the Pokémon had drug Blayre's ruined jacket over to her in a failed attempt to return it to its owner.

_What do we do with the perv's jacket now?_ he asked, adopting Touko's word of choice for Blayre.

N smiled, bent down, and handed the jacket to Touko, who cringed away from the blood stained mess. "I don't want anything to do with that," she said disgustedly. "Just looking at those stains makes me feel sick."

N nodded. "We should still search it before we dispose of it," he sighed, holding it out away from his body as though it were a cursed object. Carefully and with much chagrin, he began inspecting the jacket's pockets. He groaned as he pulled out little pieces of rubbish—an old lottery ticket, a girl's phone number (labeled with the phrase "Easier to get into than the Pokémon Academy; N made a note to ask Touko about the school selectivity and what it had to do with a girl's phone number), an empty super potion—and was positively repulsed when he found a severely wrinkled photo of none of than Touko and her friends, Bianca and Cheren, likely snapped on Route 1 the day the set out from Nuvema Town.

Ready to toss the thing aside, he checked the jacket's internal pocket. There, folded amongst the old candy wrappers and food receipts, was a small, yellowed note. Touko watched as N's eyes grew wide as he read it to himself.

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"We have to get off this ship right now. We have to turn around," N said frantically, pulling Reshiram's Pokeball from his belt.

"What do you mean turn around? What for?" Touko asked, thoroughly confused as she returned Espeon to his Pokeball.

"Read this," N directed, handing her the little crumpled piece of paper he pulled from the jacket as he released Reshiram.

Touko smoothed out the stained and wrinkled little piece of paper. Sprawled across it in Blayre's neat scroll was:

"_Bear me hence for I can find no peace in this place. My thoughts are turned to the far away land of my youth, where stone meets the sky. How I long to be locked away there and laid to rest with my heart." _

_-K.G.S., from her death bed in the Cave of Legends._

Drawn below the quote was an impressive mountain covered in snow and ice. Roosting atop the mountain was a bizarre looking dragon, its jagged icy wings spread wide as it looked down upon the construction of a massive . Carved at fluid, organic angles resting just below the dragon's roost was what appeared to be a thick stone door.

_Many years passed and The Original Story became no more than myth. Until one fateful day, a woman discovered an odd vault in the side of a mountain on her family's estate._

"But I don't understand," Touko said. "Why does this mean we have to turn around? According to Beckette, the woman was from the Sinnoh region. Shouldn't we continue forward?"

"No, no—we must turn around," N said, pulling her onto Reshiram's feathery back.

"N, I don't—" she gasped, her breath stolen from her as Reshriam took to the sky at full speed.

"Beckette said that the family was tied to Unova, to Reshiram and Zekrom, but that the truth had been lost to time. Look at that dragon on the mountain, Touko," N shouted, the wind whipping his hair wildly as he urged his dragon to push forward ever faster.

Touko pressed the little piece of paper flat against Reshiram's feathery back, trying desperately to keep it from being blown away by the wind. She bent close to it and examined it once again, her eyes growing wide with confusion and doubt. The strange, bent wings that were sharp and jagged like the surface of an iceberg; the ice and snow that the dragon roosted in so comfortably—all of it pointed to only one Pokémon.

"Kyurem," she whispered.

N nodded and stared out toward the horizon, sighing as he let his mind drift to what had just transpired on the deck of the S.S. Aqua. No matter how hard he tried to escape it, he could not help deny that he and Blayre seemed to share some very similar experiences, more so than he even realized. His mind reverberated with Blayre's desperate cries to 'Sister', his mind's eyes flooding with dozens of half-forgotten memories of his own childhood.

Shaking off the pain of those moments, N turned his thoughts back to Blayre. If he was being honest with himself, he knew that envied him slightly. He had known Touko for the better part of three years and he still trembled at her touch, still found himself senselessly tongue tied and shy around her at times. Blayre, on the other hand, had no problem touching her at all; quite the contrary, he seemed to crave and savor the touch of other people.

His mind was suddenly filled with the image of Blayre, too weak to stand, his body shaking like a leaf. He barely had the strength to move his body, yet he went out of his way to blow a kiss to Touko, to purposely goad him. And the love between him and Atreyu…that was something N had never experienced in his young life. Such tender, familiar love was often the subject of his childhood fantasies—a real family, not subjects and Ghetsis. But, why should he be measured against this rogue? Wasn't he better than that, after all?

Try as he might to put it from his mind, to tell himself he was above this childishness, his competitive side could not be calmed. This stupid, vulgar man, whose past seemed as murky and unsettled as his own, excelled in all the areas he longed to. Though he knew his mind should be focused on finding this mountain—of even where to start looking for it—he was only focused on one thing: besting Blayre.

Awkwardly, he hooked his arms around Touko. She shuddered as he pulled her around on to his lap, her legs dangling freely over the sea. She couldn't help trembling slightly as her legs dangled freely in the air. After all the time she had spent flying in the past few weeks, she was still terrified of heights.

"I wished you would warn me before you did that," she sighed, pressing her legs to Reshiram's side. "It takes my breath away when I think about falling from this high up," she whispered, shivering as she glanced down at the sea below them.

"Yeah, well…" he began quietly, unsure of how to proceed. _You can do it_, he told himself. _Don't be afraid. _

"Well what?" Touko asked, arching her eyebrow at him sarcastically.

"Well, I'm sorry," he said.

"Sorry for wha—"

He took her chin in his thumb and forefinger abruptly, silencing her, and held her eyes in his in that unsettling, scientific way of his. Carefully, he lifted her face towards his until the tips of their noses barely brushed together. Hands shaking from the adrenaline that was rampaging through his bloodstream, N closed the distance between their lips. Touko gasp was barely audible as the lips she had so craved during her battle with Blayre finally came crashing down against hers, this time with no hesitant sweetness.

For once, Touko was the dewy eyed innocent, her heart fluttering out of control as she felt his long, nimble fingers grab at the fabric of her shirt and tug her closer to his body. Her whole head swam as she inhaled his deep, dark scent. Her body was a limp, fragile thing in his arms as he deepened their embrace, parting her lips, frantically imploring her for more; if it wasn't for his long arms wrapped about her so securely, she was certain she would have slid off Reshiram, her senses extinguished from the pleasure of his yearned for touch. Finally, she had to pull away from him, her face flushed from desire and gasping for breath.

_Let's see Blayre do that_, N thought smugly as he gently pressed his lips against Touko's, savoring the look of pure longing painted of her delicate features.


	23. Chapter 23

_The worse has passed now_, Atreyu thought, sighing as he leaned back in his chair. In the past three days he had barely had a moment of rest; tending to Blayre had proven much more difficult than he had anticipated. He closed his eyes and rubbed them lightly. They watered and stung as he yawned, his limbs and mind heavy with the dense fog of sleep.

"How is he?" a cold, sweet feminine voice called.

Atreyu's eyes snapped open, his sister's voice jarring him out of an uneasy, light sleep. Noah stood lazily in the doorway, dressed in a floor length white satin gown. Idly, she twirled a bit of her hair around her pinkie finger, making the thin, deep purple ribbons she had artfully woven in her hair shine in the weak amber light of Blayre's suite.

"He will be fine, Sister," Atreyu said sleepily, turning his eyes back to his resting brother. "He is resting peacefully now, though he does cry out sometimes."

"I guess I over did it," she said lightly, laughing as she glanced at her twin brother. "I forget how pathetically fragile he is."

"He could have died, Sister," Atreyu whispered, fearful of waking Blayre. "How can you laugh at that?"

"Because that's what you do when someone makes a joke and _that_," she said, gesturing to their unconscious sibling, "is most definitely a joke."

"Please, Sister, I beg you—stop this now," Atreyu implored, his voice cracking with pent up anguish. "Why do you punish him like this? Do you not have any love for him?"

She turned her cold, penetrating blue eyes on him as he heaved for breath in his chair, his eyes dripping tears without his permission. "Look at me, Little One," she commanded.

Hastily, Atreyu wiped the tears from his cheeks and turned back towards his sister, his eyes locked on the cool white, blue veined marble of Blayre's room. His head swam and spun as he imagined himself lost in the sky, his brother feverishly repeating "Take me to the sky" in his ear. He poked at the solid rock with his foot, relieved to find that the floor was still as solid as ever and the feeling in his heart was nothing more than a clever illusion produced by his sleep-starved brain. Or was it something more?

"Look at me," Noah hissed, taking him by the chin and forcing him to make eye contact with her. When had she come to stand in front of him? He couldn't be sure. Nothing was certain anymore. As she fixed him in her stark, deep blue eyes, everything else seemed to blur and bubble away into black nothingness. It was just him, her, and the crushing weight of oblivion.

"Reconsider what you just said, Atreyu," she cooed sweetly, the darkness rippling around her like a heavy black drape in the wind. "It sounded dangerously close to disloyal. You do owe your allegiance to your Key Sister, don't you?" She let her long nails drag across his skin as she traced his jawline with her fingers, letting her delicate hand come to a rest on the exposed flesh of his neck. She smiled at him, her soft pink lips mocking him as she felt his frantic pulse sputter against her finger tips.

"Y-yes, Sister, you have my blood," he said, forbidding his voice from quivering.

"That's a good boy," she said brightly, letting her claw like hand drop from his throat. "You're so much more obedient than Blayre. I think you'll make a fine Key Brother some day."

"Thank you, Mistress," he said flatly.

"Let me ask you something," she said quietly, the darkness rippling and swirling as she sat in front of him on the edge of Blayre's bed. "You say I have no love for him, but tell me—what love do you have for me?"

"I do love you, Noah. That's why-"

For the second time that day, his eyes began to water against his will. Silently, he held his reddening and swelling cheek in his hand, too shocked to continue speaking. Many times in the past, Atreyu had seen his sister give Blayre a good slap—most of the time, he deserved them too—but never before had Atreyu felt the sheer force with which she could bring down her dainty hand. As he sat there, he couldn't decide which stung more—his face or his pride.

"I hear my name spoken far too often," Noah said, her face red as she huffed deep, angry breaths.

"But I thought...since I was chosen, we were...we were..." he stammered, afraid of choosing the wrong word.

"You thought that this," she said, flicking at the pure black skeleton key tied loosely around his right wrist, "made us equals?" He gave her a feeble nod, his eyes once again locked on the floor. "There is only one other who may call me by my name, when I permit it. It's a little sad to have to call Blayre my Equal, but that is what he is. It is something you should respect, Atreyu," she said quietly, her voice trailing off lightly, as though she were deep in thought, "for our roles could have been reversed so easily.

"No, Little One," she sighed, standing up suddenly, "you will never call me by name. I was born of a dragon and you...you came out of what was left of the husk of a woman my brother and I left broken and spent. It's a wonder she lived as long as she did after you were born. It would have been more merciful for her to die before she spit you out. You've been a terrible burden to your brother all these years, but now there's finally some use for you," she said, yawning as though this were the most pedestrian of conversations.

"I'm glad to be in your service, Mistress," Atreyu said, doing his best to keep the mounting anger and contempt that was surging through his body from entering his voice.

"Oh, yes? Then come; let's away from this room," she said lightly, standing up gracefully from Blayre's bed. "This is all so dreadfully boring. There is a party going on downstairs, after all. It would be bad manners for us to spend the whole night locked up in here. Besides, that fool Damien has been asking for you nonstop."

"Uncle Damien is here?" he asked.

"Of course he is here. I summoned him, so he has come," Noah said, her voice as cold as ice. "Why shouldn't he come?"

"I just didn't think he'd return after last time..." he said, trying his best to frame the ugly affair of his uncle's previous visit in the best possible way.

"It's not my fault that fool couldn't hold on to his key. I do not control their allegiances. Besides, if he was weak enough to lose it to an outsider, he never really deserved to call it his in the first place. It was likely just bidding its time until it could be united with her." She sighed and flattened down her dress, primping as always, before extending her hand to Atreyu. "Come, let's go."

Hesitantly, he put his hand in hers and allowed himself to be pulled to his sleep-weary feet. He sighed and ran a hand through his thick, blond, mopish hair. He stretched out his arms, letting out a mighty yawn as his muscles pulled tight on his bones, and pulled a Pokeball from his jacket pocket. "I just have to instruct Viola on how to care for him if he wakes up while were gone," Atreyu said sleepily.

"Oh, don't bother," Noah said, defeated. "You may as well just stay here with him."

"But, Sister, I thought-"

"No, no," she said, placing her fingers lightly on his lips. "He'll make a fuss if you aren't here when he wakes up. I can't have him ruining my party. Besides, you look—and smell—like you've been making-out with a Garbodor."

"Thank you, Sister," he sighed, sinking back into the chair next to his brother. He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through the tangled mess that was his hair as he heard the click of her heels on the marble grow softer. The heaviness seemed to leave the room as she returned to the party; Atreyu was certain that if he opened his eyes, the darkness and dread that had once filled his brother's suite would be gone as well. He took a deep breath and clamped his hands over his ears.

_Stay out of my head, Noah. Stay out of my head._

* * *

><p>"So, Mistress, how fares the girl—what was her name again?" one of Noah's dull, distant female relations slurred, her breath heavy with the scent of red wine.<p>

"Touko," she said, her voice harsh and uninterested as she sipped at her own wine.

"Yes, Touko," she said, her nodding in a drowsy sort of way. "Do tell us of her progress."

Noah eyed what she thought to be one of her cousins over the top of wine glass. She couldn't recall what her name was, if she had ever brothered to learn it in the first place. She had small, watery brown eyes and dull, wiry red hair that stuck out in awkward angles. Now she remembered her. She was called Cecilia and she was Noah's senior by only three months; they had often played together as children, a relationship which had not carried over into adulthood.

"No," she said flatly. "Such information is only fit for the ears of the Children of the Keys."

"That is so like you, Noah," the girl chuckled, sloshing a bit of her drink down the front of her dress. "You always were such a stiff child, never smiling or playing. I still can't believe you were picked over Blayre. Blayre! Now that's a leader—that's a real trainer."

The air seemed to leave the room as Noah held the woman in her gaze. Everyone seated along the elegant, stretched dining table held their tongues as they watched her tiny, delicate hands ball up into fists on the dining room table. Those who had the privilege of sitting closest to her—her Key Brothers and Sisters—had blanched to a sickening shade of cyanotic blue. Everyone was terrified of what was about to happen next—everyone except the drunken offender.

"Where is Blayre, anyway?" she asked, blissfully unaware of Noah's fury.

"Downstairs resting. Would you like to see him?" Noah asked, her voice as smooth and even as silk, her eyes as cold and unforgiving as ice. "Yes, let's. That sounds so pleasant."

She rose to her feet and calmly extended her hand to her cousin, who eagerly accepted the help standing as she wobbled on her heels. As she led her around the head of the massive dining table, Noah turned back to her family, a faint smile playing on her lips and said, "Go home. You are no longer required here, nor are you welcomed. I do not wished to be disturbed.

"Now, come along. There are many stair leading to Blayre's room. We wouldn't want you to fall," Noah said, her voice less than sincere as she ushered her cousin around the stream of fleeing dinner guests, all too terrified to speak or look at the unsuspecting woman.

"I thought Blayre's room was a roost," she slurred as Noah led her to the massive white granite stair case. "Why are we going down?"

"He's being kept down here, away from the light. It hurts his eyes terribly and give him headaches," Noah lied smoothly, closing the heavy door to the estate's wine cellar behind them with a resounding clang, extinguishing all light from above.

"Where...?" her prisoner asked, now trembling slightly as she felt Noah's grip tighten on her upper arm.

"Don't worry, Cecilia," Noah said, yanking the woman down the stairs. "I'm sure you remember this game, don't you? You were so terribly fond of it when we were children."

* * *

><p>It was dark. Very, very dark.<p>

How long she had been in the darkness, Noah couldn't say. Miserably, she hugged her stuffed Ekans doll to her chest and tried her best to quell the gale of tears that was flowing from her eyes. Somewhere in the vast, heavy darkness, she could hear a rat skitter across the cold stones of their cellar. Above, she could hear the music from the summer festival playing. Her cries and pleas for help were lost in the thick stones, locked away beneath the earth as tightly as she was.

The sweet, easy melody played on and on, her pained wails and moans becoming one with the jovial song in a grotesque call-and-answer that was pained and lovely all at once. As she stroked her doll's head, tears still leaking from her eyes as easily as water through a sieve, she remembered how happy she had been when the other girls had wanted her to play with them. Most of the time they were too afraid to even speak to her.

Though she was still young, Noah understood that she wasn't exactly what people considered normal. For as long as she could remember, she had suffered from strange, all-encompassing fits of rage. Her brother, her twin, seemed blessedly free of them, though he did lose his temper and cry quite easily. Noah was different; once the anger took hold of her, she could hardly be quited. She would break all her mirrors, throw and thrash all her toys, slam her body against the walls-everything in her path, including herself, had to be smashed to pieces before she could be satisfied. The only other person on the face of the Earth who could even come close to comforting her during one of her fits was Blayre.

Her twin was the only child who was never afraid to play with her. He was always happy to have her around, always smiled and laughed and played pretend with her in the slow, quiet hours of the day. Blayre was the one person who understood her, who cared about her, and, perhaps, she thought, loved her. However, she still longed for friends, for the companionship of other girls her age, not just her brother.

So, when the invitation had come from Cecilia, Sarah, and another cousins, she accepted eagerly. Maybe finally they had been able to see past those strange outbursts, her quiet stares, her awkward mannerisms...maybe they had finally seen the real her. They told her they were going to play "Princess in the dungeon."And she got to be the princess.

By the time she had realized what was happening, it was already too late to get away. Noah had been afraid when she heard them close the door, saw the light from above disappear, but nothing had terrified her more than when she heard the lock click into place. She was stuck there, alone and trembling in the dark of her now prison cell; her only crime was wanting to be included-to be like everyone else.

Perhaps what was most heartbreaking for the child was that in all the time she was gone, nobody had even noticed she was missing.

* * *

><p>Noah smiled as she sipped at some champagne on her grand terrace, draped in a white silk robe and caressed by a gentle, warm breeze. She closed her eyes and let a relaxed, pleased sigh slip from her lips as she hugged a ratty, tattered Ekans doll to her chest, her one constant friend through all the years. The sickeningly sweet scent of rotting fruit drifted from her family's vast orchard and she knew that winter wasn't so far away anymore.<p>

She longed for those cold, gray days. How she loved when the trees would drop their leaves, brittle and brown, leaving nothing but their skeletal branches behind. She could almost taste the clean, refreshing taste of the first rain of the season. Truly, she was only at peace when the wind howled and the sky was streaked with lightning. When all the world roiled and shook, she was steady.

"Mistress, a letter for you," one of her nameless attendants said softly, afraid to wake her if she slept.

Noah held out her hand lazily, her eyes remaining closed as the letter was placed lightly in her palm. "Go," she said, her voice completely disinterested, as she positioned herself slightly more upright. She suppressed a laugh as she heard feverish, clumsy footsteps slap against the cool granite as they retreated from her._Still afraid of Noah the freak_, she thought, her smile growing into an outright grin as she opened her eyes.

The letter in her hand was small and enveloped in the cool blue of Blayre's stationary. She sighed, thoroughly tired of this childish form of correspondence; they lived in the same house and yet he wouldn't deign it necessary to speak to her in person. Still, she could see from the sloppy curve of her brother's normally neat scroll that he had written the letter in a hurry, which meant that he was either well enough to leave or had something important to say (which was, in her opinion, rarely the case). Gingerly and with some measure of apathy, she peeled open the letter.

_My dearest and beloved Sister,_

I am pleased to report that I am well enough to be on my way now. I will be recommencing my mission in the Unova region. I'm sure you know by now that they have made their way to Castelia City, but they have made no significant progress in their search. If it pleases you, I will set them on the correct path.

Faithfully your brother and loving servant of the keys,

Blayre

She heaved a sigh as she read and reread his letter to herself. She was relieved to hear that Touko and N had made no real progress without her help. She hated being in the dark about the actions of her clever little pawns. Blayre was enough to worry about on his own.  
>As she carefully refolded the note, her spirit much comforted by her twin's words, she noticed that on the back of the letter, scrawled in hasty, chicken-scratch hand was another note.<p>

_Dear Sister,_

I shall be joining our brother on his mission for the sole purpose of seeing that he comes to no further harm. We both know Blayre is far too invaluable to our family to have him come to such harm again. I'm sure you know best of all, Mistress, that my only intention is to be of some use to you at long last.

Faithfully and always your blood,

Atreyu

Silently and with a calm, flat face, Noah crumpled the letter in her hand and tossed it to the ground, her knuckles white with rage. With a much grace as the action allowed, she spat on it, thoroughly wishing for the first time that her plate was made of flame; if it was, perhaps she could set those biting, disobedient word on fire, reduce them to nothing more than ash in the wind. Her eyes certainly burned with as much fury and heat as the hottest of flames.

With an easy flick of her hand, she sent the delicate champagne flute she had been sipping from to the ground. It shattered into beautiful shards of crystal, coating the ground in sharp fragments like her tears coated her cheeks. Everyone was still running from her, still leaving her locked away, unaware of how long she had been left alone. Hastily, she wiped away the bitter, humiliating tears from her cold, emotionless face, stifling all thought of self pity.

_Hurry forward_, she thought, watching with burning eyes as her cousin Cecilia, now several shades paler and far more gaunt than a woman her age should be, rushed into the open arms of her parents on weak, thin legs. Overhead Noah could hear the rush of air against wings, undoubtedly signaling that her brothers had taken to the sky; she had to fight back her rage as their laughter was carried down to her ears on the breeze. Hastily, she untied her hair, letting the dark raven curtain fall between her eyes and the world outside.

Just as her twin had the odd habit of pressing his key to his lips and subvocalizing, Noah was also prone to communication with her key. Silently, she pressed the key to the center of her forehead and closed her eyes, letting her whole body relax. The odd, numb sensation came gradually to her limbs; it spread slowly out to her entire body, making it feel as though she had been given several injections of novocaine, until the only part of herself she was aware of was her mind.

All around her appeared strange shapes; all were composed of irregular, yet somehow elementally organic angles and colors. She could hear voices, but they were stifled and dull, as though they were coming through feet of murky water. The only thing in focus was the ring. Sunlight glinted off of its spherical, mirror polished surface as it waited restlessly on the boy's thumb as he ascended...but it was all to blurry to see still. In the haze of uncertainty, all that was clear was the ghostly glow of a rainbow of colors. Some were barely burning while others blazed as brightly and clearly as the noon sun. She knew without counting that she would see seventeen distinct colors, not counting her own.

As always, the sky plate was radiating so brightly it nearly stifled the light of any of the others. It was with much practice that Noah was now able to see beyond it to the others. In the far haze, she could make out faint sparkles of pink and yellow. These were the plates that had yet to be reclaimed; they had belonged to grandmother and mother and though they desperately wanted new masters, there was still a lingering allegiance and love for their former companions. Though they were lacking masters , they still shone with a brilliance that was almost without parallel among the plates of the living Children of the Keys.

Beyond the two solitary plates, on the very edge of her field of perception, was where the two resided. Glowing sinisterly red and bright was the flame plate, its fiery red light blending a melting with the otherworldly curtain of light that emminated from the ring. It disturbed Noah that, out of all her relatives, the two plates of the outsiders shone brighter than nearly all of the blood of the Guardians. Slowly, the lights began to fade. The darkness of awareness and heightened thought began to recede. Soon, the light of the plates was nothing more than a bizarre blur of colors and shapes, all too chaotic and grotesque to distinguish from one another.

In the moments before her blue eyes fluttered open, however, Noah's mind flashed with the image of a boy with long, green hair and strange, curious eyes. He smiled as he kneeled down to pat a pidove on the head; his smile turned to a broad grin as the bird-like creature eagerly perched on his shoulder to avoid being swatted by a large, purple cat-like creature, who looked thoroughly displeased with the boy. A smiling girl picked up the sour-looking espeon and gave it a comforting rub on the head as she cradled it in her arms.

_Hurry forward_.

Easily and light of spirit, Noah rose to her feet, her legs nearly buckling from their lack of sensation. The soles of her tender, well cared for feet stung as the jagged crystal pierced her skin. Pain was the only way to cleanse her body of the numbness. So it was with no hesitation that she drug her stiff legs forward across the shards, sensation returning to them with every agonizing step. She was hurrying forward as well; she was no longer going to get left behind or excluded. When the world roiled like the open sea, she told herself as the crystal tore into her skin, hugging her Ekans doll tightly to her chest, she stood steady.


End file.
